


Your Kindness

by shinchiisanakyojin



Series: What Makes Me Love You [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Atheism, Homophobia, Homophobic Language, M/M, Reiner is a bold mofo., Religion, Repressed gay feelings, Underage Drinking, Underage Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-02
Updated: 2014-07-07
Packaged: 2018-01-21 14:05:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 18
Words: 50,169
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1553081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shinchiisanakyojin/pseuds/shinchiisanakyojin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Armin is an extremely shy and smart guy from a small town. He came to college in order to work with his passion, the ocean, and to experience new things. He just never expected to develop strange feelings for his good-looking roommate.<br/>Now, he has to change his point of view in order to have a better understanding of himself and the world outside his hometown.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Ahh, I'm so nervooous!) I hope you guys enjoy this story!

Armin got up early that morning. Not only he had to unpack, but he was also excited about his first day in college, even though he had no classes for the day. He had always been a shy, smart and kind boy, which means life wasn't easy and high-school was like hell for him. If it wasn’t for Eren and Mikasa, his childhood friends, Armin would’ve been alone for as long as he could remember. But he was sure college could be different. He would study what he loved and despite his doubts about the future of certain former classmates, Armin still had hope people there would be more mature and comprehensive.

He thought it would be his chance to find nice people who liked the same things he did, who would invite him to go out and basically... Live. It was his chance to grow as a person, to have new experiences, to start doing the things he never got to do.

He grew up in a small town, with nothing but a church, a library and a park. It’s not like he was planning on going to college to get drunk and use all kinds of drugs known to man or anything, but he expected to do more than just eat, sleep, go to church, read and repeat.

Not only that, but his friends were also a problem at times. He loved them with all his heart, but they always took care of him like he was a child. They had created this image of a weak Armin, crying because a bully had pushed him to the ground in kindergarten and it remained in their minds for the rest of his life. He couldn’t really be mad at them because he was, indeed, always getting beaten up by someone. But he wasn’t a kid anymore.

He wasn’t buff or extremely tall, but he had a normal height and build for a boy his age. Still, until his last year in high-school he would be constantly bullied. He wondered if it was his fault for looking like so feminine, — Specially now that his hair reached his shoulders — while he stared at the mirror, brushing his hair. That was until his line of thought was cut by strong blows to the bathroom door.

“Hey, man! Come on, other people wanna take a shower too!”

Oh, privacy. _That’s_ one of the things he _did_ miss about home. He put his brush into his pocked and opened the door to find a chest on the same level as his eyes. This guy was blond, but unlike Armin, he was _huge_ in every sense of the word, and the boy understood why it seemed like a bear was banging on the door, yelling at him. Funny enough, the guy just stepped back with a confused look on his face as stared at Armin like he was trying to figure something out.

“I’m a boy, if that’s what you’re wondering.” Armin knew that look very well. He got it all the time.

“N-No! I-I know...! I just... I’m sorry, you’re just so...”

“So...?” He didn’t even know why he had asked. It was like he was asking for a fight, and with this guy would be a more of a suicide attempt.

“Well, honestly? You’re really cute.”

Armin didn’t know what to do. He could feel all the blood from his body going to his face and making him look like a tomato. He became extremely aware of all his limbs and just didn’t know what to do with them. His heart was beating so fast it felt like it was about to explode.

“Uhm... Sorry? I didn’t mean to embarrass you.” The guy looked at him with a mixture of guilt and laughter at his face “I just say stuff and don’t really think about it.”

“N-No... I-It’s okay. S-Sorry.” Armin instinctively lowered his head trying to hide his face with his bangs and dashed through the hallway.

“Hey, wait! I didn’t mean to–”

Armin didn’t even hear the end of that sentence as he almost ran to his room and stopped at the door, leaning forward so his forehead would touch the cold wood, his hand on the doorknob. He bumped his head lightly thinking about the recent events and hating himself a little bit for his childish behavior. He had been rude to someone for no reason, he blushed in front of said someone _and_ he basically ran away. And it was really early. On his first day. Of his new life. Great way to start it.

“Are you getting in or...?”

Suddenly, Armin heard a voice ask from his right and he involuntarily skipped to the left letting out a yelp, a little bit louder than usual. The voice’s owner was a tall, good-looking guy that stood there with a huge box on his hands trying to hold his laughter. He was sure now, he would have to change to another dorm. Or college. Or town. Possibly country.

“I–...! Yes, actually I am. Excuse me.” Armin thought it would be best not to say anything and just get into the bedroom, avoiding even more embarrassment.

He opened the door, got in and was about to close it again when he saw the tall guy getting into the room. Great. A roommate. A roommate who had seen him shouting like a little girl. He was now sure he would have to move to another _planet_.

“Hey, this is kinda nice.” The guy casually said, putting his stuff down and looking around the room, hands on his waist. “So... I’m Jean Kirstein. Nice to meet you...?” He extended his hand looking for a handshake.

“Armin... Arlert.” Armin timidly shook his hand, lightly scratching the side of his neck with the other.

“So, what’s your major?”

“Oceanography.”

“Really? Awesome! Mine is Biological Sciences. I guess we might have some classes together.”

“... You’re majoring in _B_ _iological Sciences_?”

“Well.... Yeah. Why? What did you think I was majoring in?” He laughed, probably confused about Armin’s question.

“I don’t know... Is there a major for modeling?” The blond asked, giving a small chuckle.

“Uh? W-What?” Jean jerked back a little and Armin could see his ears turning red along with his cheeks.

“S-Sorry! I-I didn’t mean to s-say it like that! I-It was supposed to be a joke, b-because you’re g-good-looking and... I’m not making it sound any better, am I?”

“If by ‘better’ you meant ‘less gay’, then... No.”

“I-I’m not–...! I don’t–...!” Armin shook his hands between them vehemently, slightly lowering his head.

“Hey, relax, dude!” Jean laughed “I don’t really care if you like boys, girls, or... I dunno, stuffed animals. All I care is: Do you snore?”

“But I–! Wait, what? No.” Armin immediately raised his head, confused.

“Then fine by me. As long as you give me a heads up and keep things limited to your own bed you can bring the whole football team to this room.”

“I’m not gay! And even if I was I’m not going to sleep with a football team. And why on earth are we talking about my sex life in our first talk?”

“I dunno, man, you started it.” Jean’s eyebrows raised and he threw his hands in the air like he had nothing to do with the conversation.

“I did not!!!” Armin closed his fists and straightened up his whole body.

“Dude, you’re getting waaay too worked up. Relaaax, I’m just messing with you.” Jean laughed, covering his face with his hands, throwing head back and letting himself fall on the chair by the desk, right behind him. “Look, this is our first talk, let’s get to know each other, okay? In a straight way.” Armin could see him trying to hold his laugh during the last sentence.

Armin tried to stay mad but it was really hard with this guy. He was so relaxed and confident. Something about him made Armin feel at ease.

“Okay, fine.” He took a seat on the chair Jean had just pushed towards him using foot.

“So, why did you come to Sina Uni?” Jean asked, leaning back on his hair, crossing his arms in front of his chest, getting comfortable.

“Well... I thought a lot about which one I’d go, and I wanted something, how can I say... Away from my own home, but I would still be able to visit whenever I wanted, so I–...”

“Wait! Hold on. ‘which one’? You were accepted to more than one?” Jean leaned forward, his right hand frozen in mid-air, consequence of his gestures for Armin to stop talking, his left hand on his knee.

“Y-Yes... I was... I actually got letters from...F-Five.” Once again Armin lowered his head, hiding his face with the fallen bangs, raising his shoulders a bit.

“...Five?” He could hear Jean’s voice a pitch higher and his low cough, probably trying to make his voice lower again. “W-Which ones?”

“Well... Obviously Sina and... Uh, Maria, Rose, Shiganshina and... Stohess.” The last one came almost as a whisper.

“Stohess? You were accepted at–...! OH MY GOD!!!”

“Y-Yes, please don’t do this. I just... Study a lot. I like–!” Armin stopped mid-sentence. Was he really going to be _that guy_? He was going to be the _nerd_ who loves to study _again_?

“Why the hell are you ashamed of being accepted to Stohess?” Jean asked, lowering his face and getting closer so he could see Armin’s. “You might study a lot, but you have to be, like, super smart to get in, okay? My buddy, Marco, and I spent the three years we were in high-school working our asses off to get in and we couldn’t do it. Only geniuses get in. You’re awesome, dude.”

Armin had to admit he felt a little better listening to Jean. He had no intention of coming out as a _genius_ on his first day, since it wasn’t part of his plan to _change his image_. But there as something about the way Jean said it that seemed different. Like the words of wisdom from a true leader before an intense battle, giving his soldiers courage to face the strong enemy.

“...Thank you. Now get away from me.” He said sweetly, raising his head and pushed Jean’s face away.

“Hey! That’s no way to treat your crush!” Jean protested,faking anger.

“Shut up! Like I could ever fall for a dork like you.” He stood up, laughing and started to unpack some of his stuff.

“Wow. ‘Dork’. Who taught you how to curse? Your grandma?”

“Actually, I was raised by my grandfather and he didn’t like cursing, so that’s the best you’re getting from me. Sorry.” The blond confessed, picking up some books from the box and selecting a few by putting them on his bed.

“Okay, first thing you’ll learn in college is how to insult someone and don’t look like... An _actual_ dork.”

Jean laughed, following his actions and moving to his own box. Hours passed, the unpacking was mostly done, but the conversation could go on forever. Time just flew by when they chatted and Armin started to consider that having this guy as a roommate wasn’t so bad after all.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jean's POV is now available!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Armin is Amish, goes to a party and gets drunk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, thank you for reading! I hope you're having fun while doing so.
> 
> Second, even though I based Sina University on the examples I've seen of american colleges, I'm still learning about it, so I thought it would be best to use my own college's flow chart as reference for the subjects of the Oceanography and Biological Sciences courses. So if you know more about this courses or american colleges in general and think something isn't right, please, feel free to let me know! 
> 
> Thank you for your time, and I hope you guys enjoy!

Armin’s first chemistry class was the most amazing, interesting and terrifying things he had ever witnessed. He and Jean were in the same class, so they sat right beside each other and chatted until the teacher arrived.

She had brown hair, tied up to a bun and wore glasses, a blouse and a long skirt. She got in, placed her purse on the table and introduced herself — Professor Zoe Hange — and the subject. She started talking and Armin could hear the excitement in her voice. The problem is: It would grow with every word she said to the point she was blatantly _screaming_. Armin looked at Jean for a moment and had to contain his laugh because he had never seen someone’s eyes widen so much.

By the end of the class she took a long breath and calmly assigned a paper due the next month. Armin got up from his desk and noticed Jean wasn’t staring at the teacher anymore, but instead, he was watching the blond, with dreamy eyes.

“Hum... Jean?”

“Huh? What? Yeah, let’s go.” He seemed to have woken up from his trance so he got his notebook, shoved it on his bag and left.

“So... What did you think?” Armin asked, chuckling and following Jean.

“What the fuck was that? She’s insane! Am I going to be like that when I’m a teacher?”

“I don’t think it was professorship that made her that way.” Armin laughed, picturing Jean screaming at his students as they parted ways, each to their respective class.

 

\---------------------------------

 

Armin decided to start the paper the teacher had assigned on that same day, as usual. He hated leaving things unfinished or to the last minute. Jean sat by the desk and Armin felt so sorry for the guy and the desperate look on his face. Even so, he decided to wait and see if the boy could manage everything on his own, so he decided to go back to focusing on his own work. Jean got up and Armin could see his silhouette stretching from the corner of his eyes.

“Hey, what are you writing? Are those your notes?” Jean asked, approaching.

“No, it’s the paper for Professor Hange’s class.” Armin replied, without taking his eyes of the material in front of him or slowing down the pace of his hand.

“...Okay, first of all, is this the crazy chemistry teacher? Second, the paper is due next month. And third: why the fuck are you doing this by hand?”

“Yes it is, I don’t want it to get in my way when I have other papers and I don’t own a computer.”

“...You don’t own a computer?”

Jean lowered Armin’s notebook and the blond was forced to look up.

“No. And can you please let me write? I’m going to lose my train of thought.”

“What kind of person doesn’t own a computer?”

“The kind of person who grew up in a really small town, with an extremely religious grandfather that wouldn’t let him own a computer so he wouldn’t ‘find sinful things’ on the internet. Or the ‘Godless fake world’ like he used to call it.”

“...Holy shit. That’s...” He hesitated for a moment. “...Look, you can use mine, okay?”

Jean picked up his bag from the floor, taking out his laptop and throwing it on top of Armin’s bed.

“You have a laptop.” It wasn’t a question.

“Well, yeah. Obviously.” Jean stared at him, confused.

“Wow, that is so cool.” Armin ran his hands through the surface, fascinated. He had seen a laptop before, but in his town it was a luxury. 

“No one has one of those where I live. Well, actually my friend’s father owns one, but he wouldn’t let us touch it. When people had computers it was always the one you put on a desk.” He explained.

“...Okay, where the fuck did you live? An Amish Community or something?”

“Will you stop mocking me? I told you, it was a _really_ small town. People there were simple-minded. The merchants had no reason to bring the newest and best models of anything because no one there would have the money or desire to buy it. So some of us would have computers, cellphones, but no one would bring a laptop or a smart-phone to sell, you see? So we would just stick to the old ones. But anyway, can I really use it?”

“Sure, man. Anytime. Just take it and don’t _ever_ write your papers by hand. Seriously.”

“Thank you.” He smiled, placing the laptop on this lap. “Where’s the mouse?”

“Oh, you poor Amish boy.”

 

\---------------------------------

 

Armin finished his chemistry paper a few hours earlier, but he had taken control of Jean’s laptop and wouldn’t lose his chance to use it. He was sitting on his bed, beside his pillow — Which Jean had apparently taken hostage with his feet until his computer would be returned to him — using the internet. ‘Godless fake world’ was one of the best things made by man when you had speed. He noticed Jean checking his beeping phone from time to time.

“Hey, wanna go out?” Jean asked.

“Go out? Now?”

“Yeah. My friend Marco and some seniors are at his room. He apparently knew one of them, so the whole group just got together."

Armin checked the clock. 9:36 PM. What kind of person goes out at a time like this? If he was at home he’d be in bed right now. And actually getting ready to sleep, not browsing the internet for ocean pictures with his roommate’s feet on his pillow. He started to wonder if those feet had ever touched the white sand of a beach. If they ever stood there getting soaked by the waves as it’s owner stared at he beautiful ocean in front of him. Armin obviously had never seen the ocean directly and maybe that’s why he had chosen to work with it in the future. It just seemed so beautiful, fascinating and...

“Armiiiin... Earth calling!” His train of thought was cut by Jean’s hands waving from the opposite side of the bed.

“Oh! Ah, yes, yes. Sure. Let me get dressed.” Armin put the laptop on the bed and picked up some clothes from his bag.

“Alright! Amish-boy is going to party!” Jean laughed, getting up from the bed and starting to change.

“I’m not Amish and I'm _not_ going to ‘party’, Jean.” He laughed.

“Ohh! You know what ‘party’ means!” Jean put shirt under his left arm to applaud.

“Oh, shut u-”

Armin’s words were cut by the sight in front of him. It was hard to tell when he was wearing clothes but Jean had a great body. He was tall, well toned and the blond’s eyes seemed to be fixating on his defined chest so he wouldn’t stare at the lower part of his body — Which he happened to peek once and regretted instantaneously — What the hell was going on? Why was he checking another guy out and why on earth was his body responding to it?

_Your body is responding. Your body is responding!!! He can’t see you like this, it’s weird!!! Turn around!!! Turn around!!!_

He screamed at himself inside his head, feeling his face burn and immediately turned his back at Jean.

_Relax, you just have to think about something else. Something lame and unsexy. Okay. Unsexy. Unsexy. Unsexy. Sexy. Sexy Jean. Sexy Jean stripping. WHAT ARE YOU DOING???_

“You okay, man?”

“Y-Yes, yes, I’m fine. L-Let’s go?” Armin closed his cardigan and calmed down. Almost no harm done, and what _had_ been done was well hidden by his clothes. He was so glad his neighbor always made his them much bigger than he actually was. He should thank her the second he went back home.

 

\---------------------------------

 

They arrived at Marco’s room and Jean didn't even knock. He just got in like it was his own and was soon greeted by the room’s actual owner. He had dark hair, freckles and a gentle expression. Jean walked straight to his friend, giving him a quick hug accompanied by a gentle pat on his back.

“Hey, I’m glad you decided to come, Jean. Is this the friend you talked about?” Marco extended his hand to Armin.

“Yeah, this is Armin. He’s my Amish roommate.” Jean shook his head indicating Armin and smirked.

“J-Jean! I-I’m not really Amish.” Armin gently shook Marco’s hand.

“I figured.” Marco replied with a sweet laugh “Anyway, this are our seniors. Ymir, Krista and Bertolt.”

He identified the seniors one by one, receiving a different response for each. The first girl, Ymir, matched Marco’s description. She also had freckles and dark hair, but she was way more tanned than the boy. She was a little shorter and unlike Marco there was nothing _sweet_ or _gentle_ about her face. When her name was called she raised a beer bottle she had been holding and took another sip after lowering it again.

She sat on the floor with her free arm around a tiny and skinny blonde girl sitting on her lap who smiled and lightly waved her hand after being introduced as “Krista”.

The sight before Armin were completely new to him. He knew gay people existed, but he never one in real life. Thinking logically, even if there were any in his hometown, they had too many intolerant religious people, so they would have to meet in a hidden place or something.

He realized how much his grandfather and the environment he had been living in had influenced him when he caught himself feeling a little uncomfortable about it. Even so, he decided to expel those feelings out of his head, specially when his mind wondered to the memory of Jean’s half-naked body and his own reaction to it. He decided to use logic to fight his confusion.

_Stop thinking about this. You’re not gay, and you don’t hate them either, okay? You have to eliminate this built-in prejudice that was shoved into your head right now. And for God's sake, just forget about Jean. He’s just a guy with a nice body. You probably just want to be like him and that's why your mind is fixated on it._

Yes, that would do. He focused on getting to know other people. That’s one of the reasons he was excited to start college, after all.

Their last senior, Bertolt, had such a weak presence Armin would barely notice him if he hadn’t been introduced to the guy. Despite that, he was really tall, with dark hair and sat timidly on the floor, holding a beer bottle identical to the one Ymir had been drinking, but it looked much smaller in his hand.

“My friend Reiner went to get us some vodka and more beer, he’ll be back soon.” Marco explained, sitting by Bertolt’s right side followed by Jean and Armin who followed his actions, and sat by his right, closing the circle leaving only one space between Bertolt and Ymir. Armin couldn't ignore a bunch of shot glasses in the middle of the circle.

The blond sat there, quietly, for sometime while Jean chatted with the others. How could he be so confident and friendly? Armin never managed to just go out and talk to whoever he wanted. He tried, but he could never find a topic to discuss, so the conversation would always end up dying. Jean wasn’t like that. He could even talk about things he was completely ignorant about. It was just amazing. Armin stared at him for quite a while until someone carrying a noisy bag of bottles got into the room and finally took Armin’s eyes off Jean.

His body froze, his face burned and his heart started to pound rapidly on his chest when he saw the huge guy pass through the door. The huge guy he met on his first day. The first person he talked to in college. The guy who thought he was a girl. The guy he was rude to. The guy he ran away from. Armin started to remember his plan of escaping the planet and wondered if there was a way to magically turn himself into a rocket and just launch himself to the stratosphere.

“Sorry it took so long, the nearby store wasn’t open so I had to- Heeeey! It’s Barbie!”

Armin thought about ripping Reiner’s head off, but decided to change his target when Jean laughed so loud everyone in the room looked at him. He once again lowered his head, trying to hide his face with his bangs, wanting to dig a hole on the ground with his look so he could leave that place.

“I’m sorry, man. I just had to.” Reiner himself had laughed a lot in silence because he was wiping small tears from his eyes “You didn’t even give me a chance to apologize at that time, so this is your punishment. Now come on, have a drink. There’s enough for everyone.”

Reiner said, sitting down at the vacant space in the circle and opening a vodka bottle, pouring drinks into the previously arranged shot glasses.

“You might wanna start with a b-”

Before Jean could finish his sentence Armin took one of the glasses and just drank it as soon as Reiner finished filling it up. He could see the room spinning and then slowly stopping. Everyone stared at him with wide eyes for about three seconds before they started to clap and scream “woohoo”s. Jean took a bit longer. He took about six seconds to chuckle a bit and raise his hands in a gesture of surrender. Oh, that smirk. That stupid, gorgeous smirk. Armin was so angry at that stupid face — And his own heart beating faster because of it — he got another shot and drank once again. This time the room seemed to spin for a while longer, and he could feel his worries slowly fading away.

 _So_ that’s _how alcohol works. Awesome._

The group played a few games and Armin noticed himself loosening up with every sip of the beer Jean had given him. He still could hear his grandfather telling him not to drink, saying that his body should be a temple and things like that, but he just didn’t care. He had fun, he laughed about the stupidest things, he played games, and even talked to Reiner about stupid stuff he probably wouldn’t even remember in the morning. But it was fine. He was tasting freedom for the first time in his life.

About 2:30AM, they decided to call it a night. Everyone said their "good-bye"s and returned to their respective rooms. Armin was so drunk he zigzagged around the hallway with his arms loose, singing until Jean told him to shut up or they would get caught and get in trouble.

“Ohh, relaaax! Didn’t you say that to me? ‘Relaaax’? Hmmmm?” The blonde turned around, walking backwards — and using all his strength to regain his balance after every step — “Yoou are a bastard, you know. _You_ called me Barbie!” He pointed a finger right at Jean’s face, pouting a little.

“I didn’t.” Jean calmly lowered his finger, raising one eyebrow.

“Fine, you didn’t. Buuut you _laughed_!” That last word came as a quick shout, and he probably shook his head too, because he felt incredibly dizzy after it.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to, I swear. I just came out, okay? Now stop shouting and get in.” He said as he gave Armin a small push to get into their room which, gladly, wasn’t that far away from Marco’s.

Armin fell on his butt from the push and Jean closed the door. The blond tried to get up but fell again, like all his limbs had lost their ability to move properly.

“I told you to start with a beer.” Jean said, helping him up by putting his right arm under Armin’s left.

“No you didn’t!”

“Well, I tried, but you didn’t give me a chance.” He laughed.

“Yeah, right!”

Armin felt his head get heavier as he nodded and decided to lay it on Jean’s shoulder. His nose ended up being so close to Jean’s neck he could feel his own breath. He started to feel intoxicated by that wonderful smell and thought Jean might be using some kind of big city drug as a perfume because he didn’t want to let go, like he was getting addicted to it. He put his hands around Jean’s neck, pulling him closer and the incredible scent — or maybe the alcohol _—_ made everything around him go black. The very next second all his senses were lost.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Armin's logic doesn't make sense.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to take this chapter off my system. Geez. This manga is ruining my life, honestly.

When Armin woke up the next morning he instantly wanted to die. His head hurt so much he thought it would explode and his neck was sore from the position he'd slept in. He slowly got up, trying to open his eyes, but the ray of sunlight that entered through the window was too bright. He sat on his bed, covering his eyes with his palms, trying to make the pain go away.

“Hey, g’mornin’, sunshine.” He heard Jean say in a low voice and the curtains being closed.

He opened his eyes slowly to find the brunet staring at him with their trashcan in hand.

“Here. You should keep this by your bed.” He put the trashcan by the side of Armin’s bed.

“...Why?”

“You’ll see.” He chuckled. “Anyway, you should stay in bed for today. Here’s some aspirin.”

Jean extended the medicine to Armin, who took it and drank it with help water from the glass he kept on his nightstand.

“Thank you. Urgh, I feel horrible... I feel like-”

He had to stop talking because he started to feel extremely nauseous. There was only time for him to throw himself to the ground and hunch over the trash can letting all the alcohol from the previous night get out of his body. 

He started to feel even more embarrassed when he realized Jean was right behind him, holding his hair. But, of course, it didn’t stop a second flow of liquor from being expelled from his system.  It took a few minutes until he could manage to get up. He went to the bathroom, washed his mouth and brushed his teeth. When he returned, Jean was sitting on the chair in front of his desk, laid back and staring at the ceiling.

“T-Thank you for... You know...” He tried to thank him, scratching his own neck.

“No problem. Do you still feel sick?” He stood up.

“No, I don’t think so.” This was so embarrassing he wanted to shove his head into the ground like a ostrich.

“Okay then. Just lay down, I’ll go wash this.” He got the trashcan from the floor, taking it away.

“NO!” He regretted that shout the very moment it hit his ears, making his head hurt even more “Please, let me do it!!! Y-You don’t have to...”

“It’s fine, just go lay down.” Jean smiled, leaving the room.

Armin did  _not_ deserve such a good roommate. He sat on his bed, using his pillow as a cushion for his back as he laid down the headboard. He tried to read the book he left on his nightstand but the effort was too much for his eyes and head, so he gave up.

_Oh, look at this. Apparently God_ does _exist and he_ hates  _you for drinking. Who would’ve thought your grandfather was right all along?_

Jean got back with the now clean trashcan and put it back on it’s place. He got some small, rectangular device from his bag and gave it to Armin.

“Here. This is a 3DS. I took the liberty of making a new character for you in this game. It’s called  _Animal Crossing: New Leaf_ , but I call it my ‘Hangover Game’.” He said, giving a small chuckle. “You can fish, catch bugs, talk to cute animals. It’s great.”

It didn’t sound great.

“I left everything you need in front of your house, and a bunch of money. I’m have to go out now, but I’ll be back soon. Do you need anything?” He asked, taking his cellphone and wallet from his desk.

“No, I’m fine. Thank you.” Armin gave him a soft smile.

“Do you want me to bring you something to eat?”

Armin was instantly tempted. His body was no longer a temple, so why not use this horrible feeling to experience some new things?

“I want Mc Donald’s.” He said, excited.

“...Okaaay... Do you want the whole Mc Donald’s?” Jean laughed. “I don’t think I can bring you the whole shop, so why don’t you tell me what do you want from there?”

“What do they have?”

“...Please don’t tell me there was no Mc Donald’s in your town.” Jean made such a depressed face Armin felt sorry for him.

“Even if there were, there’s no way my grandfather would let me eat it.” Armin tried to soften Jean’s expression with a smile.

“They...” Jean took some time to say anything, like he was a doctor getting ready to tell a patient he’s dying. “They have a billion types of burgers, chicken nuggets, french fries, ice cream...”

“Okay, hm... I want...” He couldn’t decide. Everything just sounded great.

“Just forget it. I’ll bring you everything.” Jean left the room so disappointed Armin didn’t know if he should feel sorry for him or laugh.

The blond decided to give the game Jean had lent him a chance. He opened the 3DS and there was the title. He pressed A and selected his own name. An adorable yellow puppy showed up and Armin fell in love on the spot. The game started after some talking with the puppy and he didn’t really know what to do. He took the things Jean had left for him from the floor and walked around the city for sometime, talking to the animals.

 

\---------------------------------

 

When Jean returned he had a huge Mc Donald’s bag on his hand, a cardboard perfectly folded into cup holders with two sodas on it and two ice creams on it. He closed the door, put his stuff back on the desk and sat on Armin’s bed, in front of him.

“I brought you everything you could wish for.” He said, looking at Armin.

“Wow, this is huge.” Armin commented, taking of his blanket and putting the 3DS down. He had taken of his cardigan an pants from last night.

“...Yeah.” Jean replied, staring at Armin in a weird way, still holding the top of the bag.

“Can I open it?” Armin asked, confused, sitting on his ankles. 

“Uh? Wha-Yeah! Sure!” He let go of the bag after giving it to Armin “I... I also brought you chocolate sundae and a Coke.”

“You brought me Coke? Oh, you’re the best!” Armin was so happy he laughed, taking the little packages out of the big one.

“Y-Yeah... I did.” Jean started to distribute the food "Leave the fries. We can eat straight from the bag. Here’s your burger. I brought a regular hamburger because I honestly don’t know what this amount of junk food will do to your body.” He laughed.

“Good idea.”

Armin reciprocated the laugh and opened the burger. He stared at it for a while, checked every layer and took a big bite. It felt like heaven. He moaned, letting himself fall on the bed, bending his legs up.

“Oh my God this is  _so good_ !” He continued to giggle from the happiness “This is the best thing I’ve ever tasted!”

Armin sat up again, taking a few fries and eating them. He let another moan come out. He was sure no one should ever be forbidden of eating this. Ever.

He took a small sample of everything before realizing Jean was staring at him, blushing violently.

_Was that cushion on his lap before? He’s probably using it as a table._

“W-What’s wrong?” Armin was starting to feel embarrassed after being seen moaning from tasty food. Maybe he should’ve contained his satisfaction a little bit.

“N-Nothing.” Jean’s voice was really thin. “N-Nothing!”

He tried again, now with his voice back to normal and took a huge bite of his own burger, lowering his eyes to the mattress. Armin was feeling a little shy, so they just continued to eat in silence for a moment.

After a few minutes, the silence was starting to become uncomfortable. Good thing Jean was a social guy and decided to start talking again.

“So, how’s the game?”

“It sucks!!!” Armin was outraged “This adorable animals are trying to rip me off! I bought a table at the store for two thousand bucks and this cute little elephant wanted to buy it from me for eight hundred!!!”

“Oh, yeah. They can be dicks sometimes.” Jean laughed really hard. “So, did you refuse?”

“Of course not. It was an adorable white elephant.” Armin turned his head to the side, confessing in a low voice.

“Oh my God. You’re such a sweetheart.”

“Shut up!”

Armin laughed, throwing a french fry at Jean, who instinctively caught it with his mouth. Both boys stood there with widen eyes and started to laugh after a few seconds.

“How did you do that???” Armin was shocked.

“Man, I’m awesome.”

“Oh, and by the way, can you explain to me why the cute little elephant was wearing a shirt that said:  _Jean sucks d_ … Hm... D. I. C. K.?” Armin still couldn’t help himself. The word wouldn’t come out.

“WHAT???” Jean shouted, reaching for the device. He stared at his for a few minutes. “That _asshole_ .”

He got up from the bed, taking his phone and started a phone call. Armin was about to start talking when Jean raised a finger to stop him.

“MARCO, YOU LITTLE SHIT, I KNOW ABOUT THE SHIRT YOU MADE ON MY ANIMAL CROSSING!!!”

Armin had to hold his laugh with his hands this time.

“... Il mio compagno di stanza l’ha vista.” [My roommate saw it.]

Armin was really surprised to see him speaking another language. He didn’t even know Jean had his ability.

“Of course not, you little shit.” Jean looked at Armin from a second and lowered his eyes once again. “Yeah, you better feel sorry. I’m getting my revenge, you fuck.”

And he just hung up. Armin was shocked. Okay, the shirt wasn’t something very nice, but still, Marco was his best friend, and it had been just a joke.

“Why did you hang up on him like that?”

“What?” Jean raised his head, confused.

“Marco! He’s probably feeling horrible now.”

“No, he’s not. He knows I’m not mad.” Jean raised an eyebrow, confused.

“You’re not?”

“No!” Jean’s eyes widened “Do I look mad?”

“Of course you do!”

“Well... I’m not, really. He knows it’s a joke. Relax.” He smiled and Armin noticed he really wasn’t mad.

“I didn’t know you could speak another language.” He tried to change the subject.

“Marco’s family is Italian and since we basically grew up together they ended up teaching me some."

“That’s so cool! Do you know any other language?”

“H-Hm... I know French, because of my mother. My father is German, but he didn’t teach me a lot so I can only say a few words and expressions.”

“Wow, you’re awesome.”

Armin was really fascinated. Jean was so amazing, he could speak other languages and knew so much about the world. All Armin knew was what he could access from the books at the library at home. There weren’t any books about any other languages, so he never had a chance to learn. But now he had. He was far from home and maybe he could go to the Languages Department’s library and study them. Just the thought or learning more made him smile like an idiot.

“Armin, wake up.” Jean said, getting up and cleaning up the remains of they had finished eating.

“Oh, sorry.” Armin shook his head, getting up to help Jean.

“You brain never stops working, does it?” Jean chuckled, putting everything on the Mc Donald’s bag, leaving the room to throw it out.

“Oh, wait! How much do I own you for the food?”

“Relax, man. Consider it a gift.” Jean smiled and left.

_ This guy is so great. He’s the best. I like him so much. Duh, of course. He gave you food, access to a laptop, an awesome game... He held your hair while you were throwing up. Gross. _

Armin’s was left with his thoughts and got scared when he realized his heart was beating faster and his hands were wondering through his hair which Jean had previously touched. He immediately got the 3DS from the bed and started playing it again. But it was hard to focus when he had to keep pushing his thoughts about Jean out of his head.

He laid on the bed, hoping the brunet that took control of his mind wouldn’t return to find him holding his shirt, creating pressure on his painful heart.

_You have to stop. This is ridiculous. You’re probably just needy you’ve never dated anyone. You don’t love him, you’re not gay. You’re not gay. You’re not. You can’t be, okay? Even if you wanted to, you could never be gay. Your grandfather would never speak to you again. Do you want to see him again? Then put an end to this stupid thoughts right now. Jean is nothing but a good-looking guy, that treats you like no one else has. And that’s why you’re thinking you love him. Because he treats you well._

He was sure this was the reason. He tried to focus on the game once more, and this time it was a bit easier. He knew he could take Jean of his mind if he wanted to. Logic was on his side, after all.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope the sentence in Italian is correct! I promise there's a reason for it! 
> 
> Thank you very much for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Armin gets presents and freaks out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm like John Snow. I know nothing. Let's hope my lame research was enough to make a chapter with no mistakes. *Crosses fingers*  
> Thank you for reading, darlings!

Armin woke up by himself that day. Weird. Usually he needed his alarm clock to help him get up, but today he felt fully rested. He opened his eyes with a smile on his face until he saw the position of the pointers of his clock. 10:15. He got up so fast he hit his head on Jean’s bed.

“Hey, man! Are you okay?” He saw Jean’s head hanging from the side of the bed.

“Argh... Yes! But I’m late!!!” He got up, still massaging his head.

“No you’re not.” Jean jumped from his own bed and calmly got something from his backpack.

Armin was still running around trying to get ready when Jean put a hand on his shoulder.

“Relax, Armin. You’re not late.”

“Of course I am!!! It’s 10AM!!!” He was shouting at this point.

“You’re not late because we’re not going to class today. I was the one who turned off your alarm.”

“YOU DID WHAT???” Armin thought about punching him right there.

“Will you calm down? What day is today?”

“What are you talking about???” He didn’t know and he didn’t care.

“What. Day. Is. Today?” He insisted.

Armin started to think while he looked at the calendar. November 3th. His birthday.

“It’s... It’s my birthday?” He calmed down a bit, wondering if that's what Jean meant.

“Exactly.” Jean smiled and revealed a present he was hiding behind his body.

“Oh... Jean, thank you...” He felt ashamed and took it. “Can I open it?”

“Of course!” Jean had a bright smile that made Armin’s heart beat faster. Good-looking bastard.

The blond took the package and carefully opened it, without ripping the paper. When he took the box out of it he could see the image of a cellphone on it.

He remembered well the day Jean was casually asking him about which cellphone he’d buy if he could choose one from the store they were in. It was exactly the one he’d chosen.

“Oh, Jean, you shouldn’t have!”

He got up and hugged the boy that stood in front of him and he reciprocated the gesture. He fooled himself into thinking that hug lasted as long as normal hug should. He fooled himself saying he was just really grateful for Jean’s sweetness.

“Still, you shouldn’t have let me skip classes.”

“I did it because we’re going to a special place.”

“Oh? And where would that be?” Armin laughed, sitting on the bed, opening the box to check out his new phone. It was so beautiful and shiny.

“Have you ever gone to an aquarium?”

Armin was glad he was sitting on the bed because he just turned his head to Jean and dropped the phone that landed safely on the mattress.

“A-Are you serious?”

“Yes. Actually I was about to wake you up so we could-”

Armin got up from the bed and changed at full speed. He didn’t even sit once again to wait for Jean to change. He kept hurrying the boy while standing and exploring his brand new phone.

 

\---------------------------------

 

Armin didn’t put his phone down until they arrived at the aquarium. When he realized it he felt a little ashamed for being so rude to the person who’d given him the phone in the first place, so he put it in his jacket’s pocket. He promised himself he wouldn't touch it for the rest of the day.

But when they got their tickets and he entered the building he forgot about everything. Jean, his new phone, college, the people around them. Everything. He just stood there, looking at the  large tunnel that lead to the penguins.

It was completely made out of glass and several kinds of fishes swam around them. It looked like Armin was under the sea and he felt his eyes filling up with tears. It was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. He stood there for a few seconds — or minutes. He didn’t really know. — until he realized he’d forgotten about poor Jean.

The brunet stood there, looking at Armin, waiting for him to move.

“I-I’m sorry. I just... Sorry to make you wait.”

“It’s fine.” He laughed. “It’s your day. You can take your time.”

Armin smiled and got closer to the glass to see the fishes. He recognized some of them and started to tell Jean everything he knew. After a few minutes they finally moved on and got to the area faking an arctic environment, filled with penguins. Once again, Armin got excited when he was telling Jean about them.

“So, there, you see that one??? With the yellow thingy on his head? It’s a Macaroni Penguin! You see there’s two, and one is smaller? The small one is probably a female! They are usually smaller in comparison-...” He turned to Jean and noticed him checking his wristwatch.

He was probably bored. Armin had forgotten that Jean, despite being a kind friend, was also a _normal_ person. Which meant he didn’t care about penguins or any animals. At least not like Armin did.

“S-Sorry, I got carried away. Please tell me when I do, I just start talking and...”

“What?” Jean raised his head, his eyes widened. “N-No! No, that’s not it! Sorry! I swear I was listening! Hm... Macaroni Penguins, yellow thingys on their heads, females smaller than males. See? I was listening, I swear! It’s interesting!”

Jean smiled and Armin blushed slightly, biting his lower lip, turning to the penguins again. No one ever heard what he had to say, specially about the ocean or it’s animals. Eren and Mikasa tried, but they always got bored and Armin could notice they had stopped listening even though they really tried.

But Jean didn’t stop. He listened, he remembered, he actually cared. He cared about Armin and about the things he loved. Once again, his heart was beating fast. He tried going back to the penguin topic, hoping it would take his mind of the other.

 

\---------------------------------

 

After walking around for a bit, Armin got to another tunnel, similar to the one on the entrance, except the ceiling on this one wasn’t made out of glass. It had a huge manatee swimming around.

Armin got closer and stood there like an idiot, smiling. He was so big and majestic. The animal swam around and turned his head in Armin’s direction. The boy couldn’t help himself and waved, laughing.

“Hi sweetie!”

The giant suddenly started to swim that way and Armin held Jean’s hand.

“Oh! Look, look, he’s coming this way!!!” Armin was so excited he was probably squeezing Jean’s hand.

The manatee swam and slightly bumped against the glass, making his soft round face become flat for a moment. Armin laughed, even though he felt a little guilty about making the poor animal hit the glass.

He let Jean’s hand go, covering his mouth and nose with both hands to laugh and got closer to the glass. He put both his hands on it and his forehead also touched the cold surface.

“Oh, baby! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to!”

“What a dork.” Jean chuckled.

“Stop it! He’s not!” Armin gave him a slap on the arm, still laughing.

“Hey, look, we can walk around more later but... I kinda got another present for you.”

“W-What?” Armin stopped laughing. He was starting to feel guilty about receiving so many things from just one person. “No, Jean, come on! You’ve given me so much already...”

“No, no, I _really_ wanna give you this, come on!” He took the blond’s hand and lead him through the hallway.

At one point, Jean insisted Armin closed his eyes. He guided the blond to a room and told him to open them. He had a black professional swimsuit in his hands.

“I think you should wear this.”

Armin was shocked. He took the swimsuit, staring at it for a few seconds, shaking a little.

“Are we... Are we going to swim... With an animal?”

“Maaaaybe...” Jean rolled his eyes, faking ignorance.

“Jean Kirstein, if you’re messing with me I’ll kill you!!!” He was really shaking now.

“I’m not!!!” Jean laughed. “Just put the fucking clothes, you idiot.”

After they changed, Jean covered Armin’s eyes with his hands. He knew the boy wouldn’t keep them closed for long. The blond could feel they’d changed rooms because the temperature suddenly dropped. Jean took his hands of Armin's eyes and saw an instructor from the aquarium inside a tank with a beluga whale.

“IT’S A BELUGA!!!” Armin shouted so loud, not only the employees but even the poor animal got scared. “I-I’m sorry! I-I’m really sorry!”

He felt his knees failing him and knelt, hiding his face when he realized a few uncontrollable tears were rolling down his cheeks.

“Why are you crying???” Jean laughed, putting his hand on Armin’s back, crouching by his side. “Isn’t this your favorite animal?”

“Y-Yes!!! Yes it is!!! Thank you!!! Thank you so much!!!” He couldn’t contain his desire to kiss Jean on the cheeks. He did it three times before rushing to the tank, trying to control himself for the sake of the animal in front of him. The employee helped him get in and he was shaking so much he had to squeeze his own hands before lightly touching the beluga.

“Ohhh, Jean! Jean, come here, touch him!!! Oh, baby, you’re so pretty and _wet_!!!” It was so cute he had to contain his desire to squeeze that lovely face.

Jean got in and stood next to Armin, touching it a few times.

They interacted with it for about two hours, listening to the information the instructor gave — Even though it wasn’t that informative for Armin, who knew everything about it — and the beluga even threw water at them with it’s mouth.

Later, Armin asked to swim with it and he noticed the instructor giving Jean a significant look before allowing it after a nod from the brunet's. For about an hour, Armin swam around in the tank, and it was like heaven. He pulled Jean to swim with him, but the brunet didn’t move around that much.

By the time the hour had passed, Armin still didn’t want to leave. He wanted to live inside that tank forever. He gave the happy beluga a hug, saying good-bye to it and got out of the tank, thanking the employees and apologizing for the scene he'd made. He now realized how weird and embarrassing it must’ve been.

They took a shower at the facilities and left the aquarium. Armin was still daydreaming about his day from time to time but he did his best to talk to Jean. The poor guy had barely opened his mouth since they entered the tank with the beluga. Maybe he was feeling embarrassed about Armin's shameful breakdown. He felt so bad to have put Jean through this, so he apologized, but the other just smiled and said "It was fine". 

After arriving at their dorm, Armin got in and turned around, with the biggest smile on his face. Jean got in after him, smiling as well.

“So... Did you like it?” He asked, certainly knowing the answer to his question.

“So much... Jean, so much... I...” He held Jean’s hands together, close to his chest “I won’t ever be able to repay you. It must’ve been so expensive, I’ll... I’ll try to pay you back, I promise! I... Thank you so much!”

“You don’t have to. I told you, it’s your birthday. I don’t want anything back, I just... Wanted to see you happy.” He smiled and once again Armin’s heart skipped a beat.

They stared at each other for some time, both blushing slightly and without even realizing their faces were getting closer. They were so distracted by each other that both ended up jumping when they heard strong knocks to the door. Jean scratched the back of his head, taking a deep breath while Armin panicked, quickly opening the door to find their friends standing in the hall.

Bertolt held a cake with a lit candle on it and Reiner started the “Happy Birthday” chorus. Marco stood in the back, giving Jean an apologetic look. Armin was embarrassed, but it was definitely not because of the public singing of his friends. He tried to focus on his friends’ good timing, so his eyes wouldn’t wonder to the brunet boy standing next to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh, I hope you guys like this chapter. It didn't come out as I expected, but still... I hope you guys enjoy it!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Armin's feelings become stronger.

Thanksgiving was coming up and Armin was excited to go back home. He wanted to see his friends, his grandfather and just go back to his silent hometown. He loved being in the city, but it was so noisy it took him twice as longer to fall asleep. He called Eren on his cellphone. The boy had received one for getting in the university and it he was like a child on Christmas.  
Eren had always loved technology and had planned to work with it in the future, but his father was a doctor and refused to help Eren financially if he didn’t get into medical school. So, he was left with no choice.

“I’m going home on Thursday. What about you?” Armin was cleaning up his desk, holding his phone between his shoulder and cheek.

“Friday. Mikasa wants do avoid traffic, I dunno. She just said she wants to go on Friday.”

“I see. Well, I guess I’ll see you then.”

“Hey, you’re bringing your phone, right? You’re gonna let me see it, right?”

“Yes, Eren.” He laughed.

“Thanks, man. Let’s do something, ‘kay?”

“Yes, yes, of course. Call me when you get there and we’ll hang out.”

“Bring your phone.”

“Okay.”

“And be safe.”

“Okay, bye!” He chuckled a bit.

“ Going somewhere?” He didn’t even notice Jean coming into the room.

“ Oh! Hi, Jean! Actually it was a friend from my hometown. Thanksgiving is coming up and we’re hoping to meet.”

“ Oh, you’re going back?”

“ Well... Yes. Aren't you?” Armin didn’t really understand why he'd asked.

“ Not really.” He put his backpack on the floor and his stuff on the desk. “My parents won’t be home anyway, so I don’t really have a reason to make the trip.”

“ Where will they be?” Armin was shocked to see someone would actually be away from home on Thanksgiving.

“ Working.”

“ Oh... I see...”

He felt sorry for Jean. He’d be all alone in a holiday that, in Armin's conception, was all about family.

“ Relax, it’s fine.” Jean laughed at his expression. “God, it’s like I just told you somebody died.”

“ I’m sorry! I’m just... Used to being with my family on Thanksgiving and...” He shook his hands, like he was denying his rudeness.

“ It’s fine. I’m used to it.”

They stood there for a few minutes. Armin tried to figure out if Jean really didn’t mind being alone and, at the same time, thinking about taking him along. He nervously played with his fingers while considering.

“ I don’t know if you have any interest, but... I-If you want to, you could... Go to my place.”

Jean tuned to look at him, raising his eyebrows.

“ You mean... To your hometown?” He didn’t look very excited.

“ I know, it’s a horrible idea, I’m sorry I asked.”

“ No! Actually... It might be fun.” He smiled at Armin.

“ It’s... It’s really not.” He admitted with a laugh. “I mean, not ‘city fun’. More like ‘country fun’.”

“ What’s ‘country fun’?”

“ You’ll see if you come!” Armin teased, trying to convince the other boy.

“ Okay then. I’m going.” Mission accomplished.

 

_\---------------------------------_

 

_The boys left their dorm a few days later, early in the morning. They took a bus to the station and another one there. Jean took his laptop of his backpack and he gave Armin one side of his earphone so the boy could watch a movie with him._

_It was getting harder and harder for Armin to control his emotions. They had to get closer to watch the movie and Armin could see Jean’s gorgeous profile from the corner of his eyes. The blond had never met someone like him. He was smart, confident, handsome and smelled amazing._

_The blond surprised himself by that last realization. He started to wonder if he really liked Jean more than just a friend and his heart felt like it was being crushed at the thought. He could imagine his grandfather’s reaction if he ever told him. If he came home with Jean one day, on a different Thanksgiving, and_ _told him they were together._

He decided to stop imagining by the time he was hypothetically banished from his home forever. Still, his mind wouldn’t stop wondering what would be like to kiss Jean’s lips. He only realized how long he’d been thinking about all of this when the movie was over. He had barely watched it.

_After a few more hours plying games on their phones and Jean's 3DS, Armin decided to sleep. But later, the brunet woke him up. He was so tired he didn’t even open his eyes._

_“_ _What?” He murmured._

“I think the bus is getting kidnapped.”

“...What?” He sat straight, slowly opening his eyes.

“Shh, pretend you’re still asleep. Look, we’re on a dirt road. There’s no one else but us and the trees. And this trip is probably taking much longer than usual.”

Since they had raised the middle arm seat, Armin had to use the one on Jean’s left to see the outside.

“This is the right road, Jean. And we’re not taking longer than usual.” He returned to his seat.

“Are you serious? Where the fuck do you live? How long is this trip gonna take?”

Armin took Jean’s arm to look at his wristwatch.

“We’ve been here for about six and a half hours. There’s another three and a half to go.” He confirmed, going back to his comfortable sleeping position.

 

_\---------------------------------_

 

_Armin was, once again, woken up by Jean when they arrived. They got out of the bus and he immediately started to look for the van that would take them to his hometown._

_“_ _Gooooooood, this was booooriing...” Jean said after stretching every muscle in his body._

“I told you it would take many hours.” Armin laughed, getting away from the bus.

“Hey, I thought you said there were no Mc Donald’s at your hometown.”

“There aren’t.” He finally found the van he was looking for.

“And what’s that?”

He pointed to a Mc Donald’s nearby. Armin bit his lips as he thought how he’d tell Jean they were still not at his hometown. Jean noticed his expression and his own became a frown.

“...What is it?” He asked with a sigh.

“This is not my hometown.”

“...I’m sorry, what?”

“You see that white van over there?” He pointed at it. “It’s going to take us to my hometown.”

“... Oh my God, you’re going to murder me in that van, aren’t you?”

“You’d probably prefer if I did.” Armin laughed, thinking about Jean's probable reaction to _why_ they were about to get in the van.

“No, no noooooooooo... Don’t say that.” He covered his eyes with his palms, starting to get desperate. “How long is this going to take?”

“...About two or three hours.”

Jean let his arms fall and groaned loudly, almost like he was in pain.

“Kill me. Please kill me in that van. I’m begging you.”

Armin laughed, having so much fun with his desperate friend. He looked hilarious wearing a frown. Hilarious and adorable. So adorable Armin once again thought about kissing him.

 

_\---------------------------------_

 

_Armin spent the whole time talking to the driver, barely noticing the time pass and they were soon arriving at his hometown. He got out and waited for the grumpy Jean to follow him before closing the door, saying good-bye to the driver._

_“_ _Ready to go?” He was excited to show Jean his home._

“Are you going to tell me we have to get a cab now?”

“No!” Armin laughed at Jean for thinking they’d actually _need_ cabs. “There are no cabs here. We’ll walk.”

“... You want me to walk? After spending twelve and a half hours on buses and vans?”

He made the scariest face, but Armin was having too much fun watching him suffer to be afraid. Well, at least he probably didn’t really love Jean since he was having so much fun with it.

“Relax, it’s really close, I swear!”

They spent about two or three minutes in silence before Jean started talking.

“Do you know that guy?”

“The driver? He lives here. He takes everyone back and forth when they need to go the city for some reason.”

You didn’t answer my question.” 

“... How come? I just said he lives here.”

“So, do you know everyone in this town?” He laughed.

“Well... Yes.” Armin was really confused, wondering what kind of place Jean had been raised for thinking it was weird for him to know everyone.

“... Holy shit.” Jean just turned his face, looking ahead and got quiet again.

After about ten minutes, they arrived at Armin’s house and the boy realized how much he’d missed it. He got up the small stairs leading to the porch and knocked on the door. His grandfather opened it, spreading his arms and hugging Armin.

“My boy! Welcome home!”

The blond actually felt so at home in his arms. Then, he thought about Jean again. About how he’d never feel his grandfather's hug again if he decided to do something about his feelings for the other boy.

“Hello, grandfather.” He smiled, trying to forget about the subject.

“How are you doing? Do you want to eat? You must be starving! Who’s your friend?”

As usual his grandfather didn’t wait for his answers.

“This is Jean Kirstein. He’s my roommate.”

“And why aren’t you with your parents on Thanksgiving, my boy?”

“Grandfather!” Armin lowered his head, embarrassed about his rudeness.

"My parents are working, sir.” Jean was so brave he answered with a straight face, like nothing had happened.

“Working? Instead of being with their children on Thanksgiving? That’s not right! Well, you can stay here and enjoy it with us instead, my boy. Come in, come in.”

Armin regretted bringing Jean. He should’ve known this would happen. His grandfather could be really rude even thought he didn’t mean to. When the boy was passing through the door, Armin held his arm whispering “I’m sorry.”. It was all he could do.

“Relax, it’s fine. I’ve heard worse.”

Armin smiled, even though he doubted it was true. The feeling of Jean trying to make him feel better was enough to do so. Even so, dinner broke Armin once again. His grandfather asked Jean so many personal questions on their first meet, including “Do you believe in God?”, which Armin was surprised to see the boy reply with a “Yes”. He honestly didn’t think Jean was the kind of guy who would believe in such a thing, but... He also thought about himself. He probably should believe in God considering his raising, but the idea was too illogical for him.

After the most uncomfortable dinner of his life, Armin took Jean to his room, letting the boy feel at home while he made his own bed.

“I’ll sleep here, you can sleep in my bed.” He notified Jean, finishing the preparations.

"Are you sure?”

"Of course! You're a guest!" He smiled.

He convinced the brunet to take a shower first. Not only he was a guest, but he deserved it after being tortured like that. Armin went next and couldn’t help but notice Jean’s deodorant’s fragrance had taken over the room.

Armin was never one of those horny teenagers that "played" with themselves at every waking moment, specially because, with the exception of Eren and Mikasa, everyone his age either bullied him or watched. So it wasn't like he ever felt attracted to anyone. However, that scent, mixed with the thought of the boy next room _—_  Specially thought of him without a shirt, from months ago  _—_ were driving him crazy.

He locked to door to make sure his grandfather wouldn’t come in. He wasn’t doing anything wrong, and didn’t even expect to do _anything at all_ inside that bathroom but there’s no way he could explain what was happening to his body or the _reason_ for this was happening.

Even though it was late at night he took a cold shower, trying to think about something else. But he couldn’t. Not only because Jean kept coming back to his mind, but also because he felt guilty. Guilty for thinking about his friends like that. Guilty for thinking this kind of thing inside his grandfather’s house. Guilty for loving another man.

And then it hit him. “Love”. This word actually came to his mind, and he was glad he stood under the shower. That way he could pretend his tears were just water drops and that he _wasn’t_ in love with his roommate.

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Armin desperately tries to fight his gay feelings and knows nothing about human relationships.  
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!  
> First of all I'd like to thank you guys for your comments, kudos, bookmarks, etc. It really keeps me going, specially when I'm lazy. LOL! So thank you very much.  
> Second, I apologize for cutting out some stuff from this chapter. I'm only including the things that differ depending on the POV so it won't become repetitive.  
> Third, starting from next chapter I'm going back to the old format, so, Armin's chapter will be updated before Jean's.  
> I hope you continue to enjoy it!

Armin woke up, but he didn’t want to open his eyes. He was feeling so lazy that day. Maybe it was because of all his stress on the previous night, but at least crying had done him some good.

He heard the top bed creaking and forced his eyes opened just in time to see Jean, staring through the window. Armin felt a pain in his chest looking at the brunet's expression. That angle made him look even more handsome, specially with the sunlight illuminating his calm expression. And even though half his heart felt amazing for being able to see this sight, the other half ached.

It ached because he could never have it. He didn’t even know if Jean was gay, much less if he liked _him_. Of course they had the incident in their bedroom after the trip to the aquarium, but... Armin was sure he was the one who got closer. Jean probably just stood there, in shock.

_There is no way Jean is gay. Look at him. He’s so handsome and incredible. Why would he be gay? … Still, he came here. Even though you thought about kissing him after the aquarium incident._

_Argh, what are you even saying? This makes no sense. He’d never love you, even if he_ was _gay. You are so... Weird. You're white as a wall AND you freaked out about a beluga. You even_ cried _in front of him._

 _Maybe he just felt sorry for you, because you have no friends. The guys in college don’t count. They’re colleagues, not_ friends _._

_You know what? Just get up and go make him breakfast. It’s not like it would matter anyway. You could never tell your grandfather you are... You know._

 

_..._

 

_But am I really?_

He couldn’t accept it. In his heart he knew the truth, but his mind refused to accept he was in love with another man. He hated himself for it, specially because he knew _why_ that was.

He decided not to think about that anymore, for the rest of the day. He’d have one day, all alone with Jean and he'd enjoy it.

His grandfather was out buying groceries for the Thanksgiving dinner with Eren and Mikasa’s parents. They had the house to themselves and he could do anything he wanted. He could walk around on his underwear. He could use the ketchup sachets hidden in his bag. He had Jean to share those small rule-breaking moments with him. He could make this day great.

With that thought, he moved a little, motivated to get up.

“Good morning...”

“Mornin’.

Jean smiled and Armin finally understood where those weird drawings, in which deities had a light shining behind them, came from.

“Are you hungry?” Even though his mind was ready to get up, his body wasn’t. It felt so good under those blankets.

“A little bit.”

“I’ll make you breakfast.”

He lazily got up, stretched and tied up his hair, leaving the room expecting Jean to follow him. However, when he turned around, the boy wasn’t there. He came back to find Jean still sitting on the bed, with a stupid smile on his face. He was so cute Armin had to bite his lower lip to avoid copying Jean's expression.

“Are you coming?”

“Uh... Yeah, sure.” He could see Jean blushing lightly.

“What do you want to eat?” He started walking down the stairs again.

“Whatever you wanna make.”

“Well, I could make you a proper breakfast...” He stopped, considering another rule that could be broken. “Or we could take advantage of the fact my grandfather isn’t home and I could make you a grilled cheese.”

He smiled, feeling the excitement of rule-breaking. It felt as good as the first time he wore underwear in front of Jean, or the first time he drank. It felt like freedom.

“Grilled cheese sounds good.”

_Yes!_

They reached the kitchen and Armin started to make the sandwich, refusing Jean’s help when he offered. He pretended it was because Jean was a guest, even though he knew it was because he _wanted_ to make it for him.

“Sorry, we only have juice.” He got the jar from the fridge, wanting so much to have a Coke or something.“But! Wait a second!”

He ran upstairs, grabbing all the ketchup sachets he’d stored. He came back and threw them all on the table.

“What the fuck is that?” Jean laughed like he thought Armin was crazy.

“I’ve been saving them for when I came here. My grandfather would kill me if he knew I’m eating ketchup, specially inside his house.” He explained, excited.

They started eating and chatting like usual and Jean, being the loud end excited fellow he was, made sure to slam the table, aiming perfectly at one of the sachets.

Armin froze when he realized his shirt was stained with ketchup. They quickly got up, trying to wash the shirt on the sink, still laughing at the ridiculous scene. However, he was having a hard time getting closer, so he took his shirt off. He hesitated at first since he was so insecure about his body. But it was Jean. He wouldn’t be a jerk about it, for sure.

Jean wasn't a jerk, but when Armin turned to the brunet, the other was staring at him, like he was memorizing every part of his body. He felt so embarrassed he wanted to vanish. 

“Um... Sorry, I’ll... I’ll go get a new one.” He ran upstairs, still shaken up and put on a new shit.

  
\---------------------------------

 

Armin decided to take Jean for ice cream first, then both boys went to the field outside town, filled with yellow flowers. He entered it and realized Jean was slowly following him, so he decided to pull him by the hand. They were warm and rough, specially in contact with his.

Armin took him to his favorite spot, under the shadow of a tree and told him to sit down. Jean agreed and sat roughly, like a tired horse.

“Not like that!” He slapped the boy on the shoulder so he could try again.

“What did I do wrong???” He frowned.

“You have to be gentle with the flowers.”

“Geez, okay. Sorry, flowers.” He mocked, sitting properly this time, but he was still facing Armin.

“Turn around.”

“But how are we gonna talk if I’m not looking at you?”

“Just do it.”

He smiled, trying to convince the other. He also made sure his mind was completely turned off for this. He didn’t want to think. He just needed to touch Jean.

Armin used his left hand to support Jean's head while his right pulled him closer, laying him on his own tights. He started to massage the boys temples, watching him relax. Jean looked so gorgeous just laying there, almost asleep, Armin couldn’t slow down his heartbeats.

 _It’s okay. It’s not so wrong. He’s letting you do it, right? So he can’t be uncomfortable. Don’t ask yourself_ why _he’s letting you do it, just enjoy while you can. Allow yourself to be selfish for once._

Deciding his inner self wasn’t so wrong, he started to massage Jean’s scalp like he always wanted to do it, and was surprised when he realized Jean’s hair was softer than he’s imagined.

Jean’s expression was so relaxed and Armin realized, then, his "mission" had been accomplished. He got close to Jean’s face to tell him.

“You see... This is ‘country fun’. Spending time with the one’s you care about.”

Jean slowly opened his eyes and when Armin looked at them he knew how much he wanted to kiss him. But when he thought about it he heard a familiar voice calling for him.

“Eren.” Like a ancor, Eren’s voice pulled him back to reality.

Armin realized what he was doing, what he was _about to do_ and quickly got up, trying to be gentle with Jean while pushing him away.

Eren and Mikasa approached and Armin introduced them to Jean and his mind started to work at a thousand miles per hour until he was brought back once again when his name was mentioned.

“Armin is a really good roommate, isn’t he?”

“Y-Yeah, he’s perfect.” Jean widened his eyes a bit and Armin blushed.

 _Perfect?_ I’m _perfect? What is he talking about?_ He’s _the one who’s perfect._

The group spent some time talking until it was time for them to get ready for dinner.

  
\---------------------------------

 

Thanksgiving dinner was awful. More than awful, it was the worst moment in Armin’s life. He was never comfortable with the prejudice that infested those dinners, but now he was a different person. He had met Ymir and Krista, who were amazing, and they were talking about them like they were scum.

And now, with his own doubts about who he was, it became even harder for him to endure. Jean touched his hand, squeezing it quickly to give him strength. Jean. Jean was listening to all of this too. He was also friends with the girls. Armin wondered what he was feeling, specially because he seemed so confident, as usual.

When dinner was over, Armin felt ashamed to even share the street home with his friend. He was so scared he’d lose him. The boy had been pretending he was fine before, but now he wore a frown.

“Shit. Armin, I think I forgot my wallet. Would you mind going back with me to get it?”

“Sure, I’ll go. We’ll be right at home, grandfather.” He could see his grandfather was angry about the cursing.

“Don’t take long.” He agreed, leaving them.

“So, you can relax now. I didn’t forget it. I just wanted you to have a little peace.”

“Oh, Jean, I’m so sorry. Please, please forgive them. They mean well, I swear...”

“No, they don’t.” Armin felt so ashamed. It was true, and he _knew_ it. But he couldn’t admit it. He couldn’t say his family was horrible. “But it’s fine. I came here for you. To spend time with you. I don’t care about them.”

“Still, I’m really sorry... I wanted to bring you here so you could enjoy a peaceful life, even if it’s only for a few days. I should have known this would happen, I...”

“Armin, relax.” Jean chuckled. “I swear, it’s fine. What’s making me feel bad is seeing you like this, specially because of me.”

“O-Okay. I’m sorry.” He was inspired by Jean’s words and his attitude. Armin could learn so much from him.

“Let’s go.”

  
\---------------------------------

 

The boys got back home and Armin insisted so Jean would take a shower first. It was the least he could do after making him endure that dinner. He noticed Jean’s shirt on the bed – gladly his grandfather was in the kitchen, so he couldn’t see Jean walking around shirtless and bother him for doing so – and remembered the day before, when he got into that bathroom filled with his smell.

He wondered if the shirt had the same scent and when he realized, he’d brought it to his face and breathed in. He remembered a flash from the first time he got drunk, when he thought Jean was using drugs as a perfume. Once more, he had the same thought.

He was glad Jean’s steps were strong and loud and managed to take him out of his trance just in time to throw the shirt on the bed again, pretending nothing happened.

 _What are you doing??? You’re so weird!!! This_ can’t _be normal!_

“Hey, I’m done.”

“T-Thank you.” He got out quickly, heading to the shower that, like the previous night, was taken cold.

After his shower he got back to the room, just in time to hear Jean talking to someone on the phone. It was obviously with Marco, since he spoke Italian. Armin had been studying in the library from the Languages Department like he’d planned to and he managed to understand what he was saying.

“Voglio spendere tutta la mia vitta con lui, Marco. Non ché nessuno come lui. Non lo so più che cosa fare.” [I wanna spend my whole life with him, Marco. There’s no one like him. I dunno know what to do anymore.]

He stood at the portal, looking at his feet, thinking about what Jean had said. Could he be talking about... Him? Could Jean, that perfect sample of a man, be in love with his boring little self? All the memories from the times they nearly kissed came to his mind. 

_What if Jean actually wanted to kiss you back at those times?_

“I gotta go, call you later.” Jean hung up and came closer. “Are you okay?”

“Huh? Yes, yes, everything’s fine.” Armin smiled, blushing at the thought of Jean loving him. “We should... Go to bed.”

“Yeah, let’s go.”

The lights were turned off and Armin had his back facing Jean. He had to tell Jean he knew, but he didn't know how. So the little devil on his shoulder decided to tease the boy just a little.

“Jean...”

“Yeah?”

“Domani voglio andare in campo di nuovo.” [I want to go to the field again tomorrow.]

Armin closed his eyes and did his best to sleep despite his stupid smile. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Why do I have the feeling this chapter is a mess? Is it confusing? It looks confusing to me.)  
> Thank you for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there's a bunch of fluff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is the last one set in Armin's hometown! (Hallelujah!) It's not the whole chapter so please hang in there!  
> Thank you for reading!

Armin had hoped he’d work things out with Jean the next day. He was slowly starting to accept himself and, if by a miracle, Jean really liked him back, maybe he could work something out. It was a long shot, he knew, but he had to try. 

Even so, he had no idea how to tell his grandfather. He decided to try to prepare him for the “news” while preparing breakfast. He got down the stairs, making sure he was perfectly dressed. His grandfather was already preparing them a healthy breakfast as usual.

“Good morning, grandfather.” He calmly said. “Do you need any help?”

“Good morning, Armin. Please make the table for us.”

“Gladly.”

He did his best to be as polite as possible. He knew how much this meant to his grandfather and he needed to be extremely satisfied to accept what Armin was about to tell him.

“Armin, about that boy, Jean...” He started and the younger felt his body froze.

“Yes?” He continued to put the plates on the table like nothing was wrong.

“I do not believe he is a good influence on you.”

“What? W-Why do you say this?” He held the forks in his hand firmly in order to control his nerves.

“He curses, he talks like he is uneducated, and yesterday I got up in the middle of the night and saw him come out of the bathroom in his underwear! This isn’t right! Does he do it in the dormitory too?”

“G-Grandfather! He... He’s not a bad person...!”

Armin knew he should’ve told Jean not to walk around like that. The bathroom was close and Jean wasn’t the kind of guy that was ashamed of this kind of stuff. Armin felt was the one who felt ashamed to have to tell and explain to his friend why it was forbidden, specially because he didn’t think “because it is indecent” was a good reason.

“I am not saying he is, Armin. But he _is_ a bad influence on you. And I do not like him. I know the poor boy is constantly abandoned by his parents, but that has ruined him.”

 _That is NOT the truth. Jean is NOT_ ruined or abandoned _. He’s_ perfect _. You’re the one who doesn’t get it. He’s amazing, smart, brave and you're judging him because you're unable to understand anything that hasn't been taught in the church!_

Armin wanted so much to say all those things his thoughts nearly came out as tears instead of words. But he wasn’t like Jean. Unlike him, Armin _was_ afraid of saying  it. And at that moment he knew he could never tell his grandfather the truth.

“Well, I guess we are done here. Go wake him up. This is a problem as well, you see! He sleeps until noon if you let him.”

Armin was silent once again and left the room in order to call Jean. He entered his room and the boy was already up, putting his shirt on.

“‘Morning.”

“Good morning. Um... There’s breakfast.”

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Jean got closer with a worried expression.

“Nothing. Shall we?” Armin forced a smile, turning around.

“Tell me.”

Jean held him by the wrist and Armin quickly took his arm away from him. The brunet had a disappointed look on his face and it killed Armin to see it. He had to explain himself.

He checked to see if his grandfather was close.

“Parleremo in campo.” [We’ll talk on the field.]

Jean nodded, following the blond to the kitchen.

  
\---------------------------------

 

The boys ate breakfast and left after cleaning everything up. They arrived on the field they’d visited the day before and walked for a few minutes until Armin decided to approach Jean.

He gathered all his courage and held the taller boy’s index finger with his own. He could see the other turning his head at him, but he continued to look forward. After one or two minutes he stopped, turning so he was facing Jean, who did the same.

“Can I... Ask you something?”

“Y-Yeah, sure.” Jean looked so nervous.

“...” Armin’s heart was beating so fast he thought he’d have a heart attack. “W-Who... Is it?”

“W-Wha- Who? Wha-?”

“I... Heard you yesterday. On the phone. W-Who... Is it?”

“...I... I can’t... I can’t say.”

The poor guy was shaking and Armin decided to help.

“Is it... Is it... M-Me?” Great. Now he was shaking too.

Jean widened his eyes, and took a deep breath, like he was gathering all the strength from the world through his nostrils.

“Y-Y-Yes.”

Armin was so nervous and happy he couldn’t say anything. He just stood there, staring at Jean, wondering what was wrong with him for actually being in love with his lame self.

“Do you...?” Jean cut into Armin’s thoughts, bringing him back to reality.

He opened his mouth to say yes, but the words wouldn’t come out. It was like they were stuck down his throat making him choke. Jean seemed to notice and he held Armin’s hand, entwining their fingers.

“I-It’s okay! You don’t have to say it yet. Just... Squeeze my hand if you do.”

Armin forced his nerves to react and squeeze Jean’s hands. It wasn’t as strong as he’d hoped, but he was sure Jean could feel it, because he bit his bent index finger from the left hand with a smile on his face. He even squirmed a little bit without letting go of the blond's hand and Armin couldn’t _not_ laugh, specially considering he wasn’t making any sounds.

“C-Can I... Can I please kiss you?” He got really close and whispered, touching Armin’s cheek.

The smaller one slowly sat on the ground, hoping the other would copy his movements. When he did, Armin laid down on the ground, and quickly raised his eyes, making sure the tall flowers were covering them before he bit his lips to contain his smile.

Jean laid beside him and put his hand on Armin’s waist bringing them even closer. The hand that once held Armin’s hand now pulled his face towards him allowing his lips to touch the blond’s gently.

It was an odd feeling for Armin. Kissing another person’s lips was something he’d never done and it felt much softer than he’d imagined.

Jean repeated the gesture, and this time Armin felt Jean's tongue touching his own lips. He was extremely nervous and had no idea how a kiss was supposed to work, but he wanted to do his best. 

Thinking fast, he decided to try copying Jean, but when he slightly opened his mouth he felt the boy’s tongue invading it. He was surprised — And slightly confused — but it felt so good he allowed it, using his own tongue to touch Jean’s.

After the initial shock he started to enjoy the kiss and used his hands to bring the taller boy’s face closer to his. He never knew he wanted to do this so bad until he’d actually done it.

After a long time they finally moved apart, both trying to regain their breath. They had stupid smiles on their faces and giggled every time their eyes met and they could see each other's blushed cheeks. A few more hours were spent on the kisses and caresses among the flowers until they decided it was time to go back.

They got up and walked holding hands until the point the road was visible again. Then Armin turned to Jean, letting go of his hand.

“I can’t... No one can know...”

He felt ashamed to have to do this, but he couldn’t lose this place. His family, his whole life here would be completely lost if they knew.

“It’s okay. I know it’s hard... Specially here.” Jean touched his arm slightly. “I won’t say anything.”

“Thank you.” He smiled, touching Jean’s hand one more time before letting it go.

  
\---------------------------------

 

The boys had decided to avoid traffic and go back on the 29 th  using the night to sleep on the bus. They said their goodbyes — Mostly Armin who even received a new cardigan from his neighbor and a meaningful look from his grandfather — and got on the van.

This time, Jean wasn’t grumpy about the trip. It had gotten a little chilly inside the bus so they raised the middle arm from the seat and got really close, but this time there was no movie or earphone to share. Just two boys hiding their joined hands under the blankets. When everyone seemed to be asleep Armin even dared to raise his blanket so it would hide their faces and softly kiss Jean.

The hours passed while they slept and soon they were arriving at the station. It was really early in the morning when they arrived at the dorm. They put their backpacks on the floor and Armin was suddenly grabbed by the waist as soon as they dropped everything.

Jean was once again kissing him but this time Armin could barely react from the surprise.

“Sorry. I just... You have no idea how long I wanted to kiss you.” He laughed, his foreheads still touching.

“I-It’s... It’s okay.” Armin held on Jean’s arms and realized he could feel his muscles.

“I’m kinda beat, so... Can we...?” He indicated the bed with his head.

“Yes, of course.”

Armin laughed, backing away from Jean and taking off his clothes. He was free to walk around in his underwear again. He never really understood why this meant so much to him. He was usually shy about his body but with Jean it was different. The only time he got shy about it was when he removed his shirt in front of the boy. But this was different somehow. Maybe those were the only times he felt actually comfortable.

He got under the covers and watched Jean finish removing his own clothes. He wondered if that’s what strip clubs were all about and understood why someone would pay to see it. It was wonderful. Jean was wonderful. With or without clothes. Even though Armin thought he was better without them.

He noticed the taller boy approaching but instead of going up the stairs to his bed he raised Armin’s covers and got under them, trying to find room for himself in the single bed. He had to squeeze Armin against him, making their legs entwine. He could probably feel the blond’s heart beating because he laughed.

“Calm down. I’m not going to grab your ass or anything... Unless you want me to.”

He was playing. Armin was nearly dying and he was playing with him. He was sure it was payback for the other night.

He gave Jean a light slap on the forehead and cuddled in his arms.

“Shut your mouth and sleep, idiot.”

“Woah, woah, woah! “Shut up” _and_ “Idiot”? Look who’s learning how to curse!” He mocked.

“If you keep talking you’ll never kiss me again.” He raised his head, giving Jean a mischievous look.

“Okay, fine.” He pouted, grabbing the smaller one like he was about to run away.

_If this is wrong, I don’t think I ever want to be right._

 

\---------------------------------

 

After their nap, Jean woke up with his phone ringing on the nightstand. He had to stretch his arm to reach it because Armin wouldn’t let go of him.

“It’s Marco.” He told the boy in his arms. “Hey, what’s up? Oh... Um... Hold on.”

He put his phone against his chest, whispering.

“I know you said I couldn’t tell anyone but... Can I tell Marco? He won’t tell anyone and... Well, he’ll find out anyway. Trust me.”

Armin was still apprehensive but he decided to trust Marco, so he confirmed.

“Great.” He smiled. “By the way, do you wanna go out to eat?”

“Can we go to Mc Donald’s?” Jean laughed.

“Yeah.” He got the phone on his ear again. “Hey, I’m back. Listen, I’m in. Can you come get me? Oh, just come you cocksuker. Ha. Ha. Ha. Very funny. Go fuck yourself.”

Armin didn’t know if he was shocked because of the _lovely_ adjective or the fact Jean, once again, just hung up on the poor boy.

A few minutes later, the boys were properly dressed and Marco knocked on the door. Jean opened it but he didn’t come inside, not taking his eyes from the phone.

“Come on, slowpoke. I’m hungry.”

“Get in.”

Marco looked at him, confused and got in. Jean was holding back a smile when he got close to Armin.

“First, there’s something you need to know.”

“Okaaay...” He raised an eyebrow, staring at Jean.

Before Armin could see what happened Jean had grabbed his head and kissed him. Just like that. In front of Marco, who stood there with his mouth open, letting his phone fall on the ground.

“H-How... But you... You said...”

“This little shit knows Italian! He heard what I said about him, so everything sorta worked out.”

“You... What? Where did you learn it?”

“I studied in the Language’s Department’s library.”

“You learned Italian _in college_? In like... Two-three months?”

“Um...” He didn’t really know what to say.

“Go ahead, say he’s a genius.” Jean was way too proud.

“Well, he’s obviously not. He’s dating you.” Marco raised an eyebrow, giving Jean a tired expression.

“Oh, fuck you.”

Jean gave him the finger and Armin wondered if he’d ever get used to their relationship. Still, the thought of living in a beautiful house with Jean, having Marco come over all the time made him happy. Even though he still had doubts if he’d ever be brave enough to tell his family and friends, for now, just this thought and Jean by his side was enough.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Armin finds out the truth about Jean.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Wow! This chapter came out much bigger than I expected!)  
> This chapter a bit long and slow because there's a lot of introductions and descriptions. So please hang in there! ヽ(￣д￣)ノ

Armin was glad he and Jean had started sleeping in the same bed — They actually moved the bed to the side and put both their mattresses together so they could properly fit — because after they started going out this was the only time they had to be together.

The tests were driving Jean crazy and even though Armin tried to help it was hard. Jean wasn’t stupid, but Armin could just understand and memorize everything easily. He felt bad for not being able to help his boyfriend, but he did his best.

“Here, you absolutely must memorize this parts.” Armin sat on his side of the bed, handing Jean the book he’d marked.

“But that’s too much, Armin. I’ll never pass this test, this woman is _insane_!” He looked at the book,  scratching his head.

“She’s not, Jean. This is important. Come on, is the last test of the semester.”

“Argh... Fine. Can we just take a break?” 

“Okay.”

Armin sighed, brushing his bangs back with his hand. He was doing his best not to get frustrated, but it was hard for him to understand why other people couldn’t follow his train of thought. He looked at Jean, who was using massaging his face.

He held the brunet’s hand, pulling him in for a kiss. At least this was something Jean knew about much more than Armin. The taller pulled him closer by the nape, deepening the kiss before breaking it, keeping their foreheads together.

“I just wanna go home and relax on my bed.” He laughed.

“You will. After this one test you can go home.”

“I wish I could take you with me.” He backed off a little.

“I can’t. My grandfather would never allow me to spend Christmas away from home.”

“What about New Year’s?”

Armin thought about it. New Year’s wasn’t as important to his grandfather. The problem was Jean. Considering how much his grandfather had been angry about the boy’s “completely unacceptable behavior” it would be hard to convince him.

“I will do my best to go if you study. If you pass this test, I promise you I will go.”

“If I get a B you’ll have to come on the 26th.” Jean bit his lip with a naughty look on his face.

“Fine.” Armin laughed and pushed him away. “Now go study or no kissing at midnight.”

Jean laughed,  getting back to his studies.

 

\---------------------------------

 

Armin spent the five days he’d spent at home trying to convince his grandfather to let him go to Jean’s house. The bastard had managed to pass the test with an incredible B minus. Their last talk was during the Christmas family lunch in the Yeager’s house. 

“Eren might not have the best grades, but at least he’s not walking around with the wrong crowd.” His grandfather said to Eren’s father. “Armin is trying to convince me to let him go to one of his friends’ house. The boy who came here on Thanksgiving?”

“That boy? His parents left him alone on the holiday. Poor kid. But what’s wrong with him?” 

“There’s nothing-” Armin started just to be interrupted.

“Where do I start? Honestly, that kid was walking around in his underwear inside my house!”

“What!?” Dr. Yeager put his fork down in shock.

“Oh my God. This is absurd.” Eren’s mom, Carla, wiped her mouth while shaking her head negatively. 

“ _And_ he sleeps until noon, he talks in such a vulgar way...”

“This is horrible. Armin you shouldn’t spend your time with this kind of person.” Said Carla.

“What is wrong with this person?” Dr. Yeager took another bite of his food.

“I do not know yet. Maybe the problem is his parents...”

“STOP TALKING ABOUT HIS PARENTS!!!” Armin shouted, hitting the table making it shake. “JEAN IS NOT A BAD PERSON AND HIS PARENTS HAD TO WORK!!! HE IS _NOT_ ABANDONED!!!”

The room was in complete silence for a few seconds. Armin’s heart felt like it was about to rip out of his chest. 

_ What have you done? _

“Did you just scream at me, young man?” 

“I...” Armin took a deep breath, his hands shaking. “I just do not believe it is fair to judge someone like this. You blame everything on his parents ‘abandoning’ him and this is _not_ the truth."

“His parents were not at home on _Thanksgiving_ , Armin.” 

“You know _whose_ parents were not present on this or the other ten Thanksgivings or so? MINE!”

“Your situation is _different_. _My_ daughter, _your_ mother, was _kidnapped_ by your father!”

“SHE WAS NOT!!! SHE WENT AWAY WITH HIM BECAUSE SHE DIDN’T WANNA TAKE CARE OF ME!!! YOU KNOW IT AND EVERYONE ON THIS TABLE KNOWS IT!!!”

“Armin lower your voice immediately! See, Dr. Yeager? See what this boy is doing to him? He’s even starting to talk like him. This is horrible.” 

“Armin, listen to your grandfather. This boy is not good for you.”

He couldn’t do it. No one on that table would ever be by his side.

“I think Jean is a nice guy.” 

Mikasa’s calm voice  could be heard from the end of the table.  The two families turned their heads, staring at the girl.

“He might be a little rude, but he is not a bad person. He likes Armin. He treats him well. Isn’t that enough? Besides, Armin is the smartest person in this room, and probably in this city. He will not be easily persuaded.” She continued.

His grandfather looked down, as if searching for a way to retort to her argument.  Armin stared at him, waiting for an answer. 

“Fine.” The word came almost as a beautiful melody to the blond’s ears. “You can visit him, but only because you promised.”

“T-Thank you grandfather.” He tried to contain his happiness, smiling lightly at Mikasa. 

For the rest of the meal, no one said anything. After they were done, Armin and Mikasa were in charge of doing the dishes. The boy was washing them while she dried and placed them on the appropriate places on the cabinets. 

After they were done,  Mikasa was putting away the last plate while Armin dried his hands.

“Thank you for the help...” He said, shyly.

“No problem.” She closed the cabinet and called him closer with her hand. 

The boy followed her and both left the house by the back door. She suddenly hugged him and he did the same.

“I know you like him.” She whispered in his ear.

“I do. He’s a great friend and-”

“No. I know you like him in a different way.” Armin’s heart nearly stopped beating.

“I-I-...!”

“It’s okay. I do not have a problem with it.” 

“R-Really?”

“Yes. Jean is good for you. He really loves you and he is, indeed, changing you. But for the better.”

“Thank you.” He smiled, hugging her tighter. 

 

\---------------------------------

 

Armin was told by Jean to meet him at the town next to his. The blond took the white van to get to it and waited for Jean in front of the Mc Donald’s close to  the bus station. The blond sat on his suitcase, checking his phone when a black Chevrolet Suburban 1500 suddenly stopped in front of him. The window opened and there was Jean inside, on the back seat, with sunglasses. 

He turned to Armin, lowering the glasses to the middle of the bridge of his nose and raising his eyebrows. 

“Get in, loser. We’re going shopping.” 

“I... I thought we were going to your house.”

“AAAWW MAAAAAN!!!” 

Jean threw the glasses on the car seat and Armin could swear he heard the person who was driving the car snorting. 

“Seriously!? You ruined my perfect entrance! I even made Levi go around the station a few times waiting for you.” He pouted. 

“What... What were you trying to do?”

“’Mean Girls’, dude! Argh, forget it.” He swung the door open and got out, taking Armin’s suitcase. “You _gotta_ learn about stuff that’s not on books. Seriously.” 

A short man with dark hair and a bored expression got out of the driver’s seat.  He wore a uniform that even included a cap. 

He  opened the car’s trunk, roughly taking the suitcase from Jean’s hand and putting it inside. He closed the trunk, going back  to the driver’s seat without saying a word to the boys. Not even when Jean thanked him. 

Jean didn’t seem to mind and got into the car, once again on the back seat, followed by Armin. When the blond got in the thought he was sitting on clouds. He’d never sat on a seat that comfortable. 

“Jean... Is he... Is that man your driver?” 

Armin finally understood why Jean didn’t seem to mind paying for everything. His phone, some of his meals, the beluga show... He was rich. “Have-My-Own-Driver” rich. 

“Oh, yeah. That’s Levi. You should put on your seat belt.” Jean said, quickly putting on his.

Armin copied the boy’s movements just in time because Levi took off and the blond honestly thought the car was flying. He didn’t know if Levi was the best or the worst driver on earth. He drove like a mad man, but his skills were definitely something else.

The trip to Jean’s house would probably take about  eight hours by bus, but Levi managed to make it in  three and a half . Armin was so terrified he grabbed to Jean’s arm and the handler above his head during the whole trip. Jean tried talking to him a few times but his brain wa sn’t working. Inertia had probably acted on it and it was still in front of the bus station.

Levi finally slowed down when they turned on a street with a barrier on the end. There was a gatehouse and Armin could see there were a few people inside.  The short man lowered the window,  removed his glove and  extended his hand,  placing a card in an appropriate slot and putting his thumb on a small glass that seemed to read it his fingerprint. 

The barrier raised automatically  after that. Levi  took the card from the slot, put his glove back on and  drove in a long street that seemed to have a lot of country clubs. There were different fences, but it took a long time to pass by the huge grounds. Armin saw a few with pools, some buildings  _ — _ Probably the restaurants and receptions for the clubs  _ — _ some even had golf courses. He wondered what kind of economic situation Jean must be in to be able to in such a place. 

After a few minutes, Levi stopped the car at another gate and pushed the intercom’s button. 

“Yes?” A deep and synical voice answered from the other side of the line and Armin could see Levi rolling his eyes.

“Open the gate, Erwin.” He replied, looking irritated.

“Identify yourself, sir.” Armin could almost hear the man on the intercom holding his laugh. 

Jean was covering his mouth, reclined on the car’s door so Levi wouldn’t see him, nearly dying of laughter. 

“It’s the motherfucking wolf coming to eat your fucking red-hooded ass.” He spat back, even angrier.

“I don’t think your wife is going to be happy about this.” 

The other replied, making fun of him once again, but the gates were opening before Levi could give him an answer. He gave the intercom the finger, though, and Armin realized it must have some kind of camera, which made the whole scene much funnier. 

He drove for about two minutes until they approached a huge mansion. 

“We’re here.” Jean smiled at him while Levi got out of the car to get his suitcase. 

“W-Wait, this is your house? Y-You live here? Really?”

“Well... Yeah. What did you think this was?” Jean looked confused.

“I don’t know! Anything but your house! Were those houses too? The ones we passed on the way?”

“Yeah. My neighbors.” 

“I thought they were country clubs!!!”

“Oh... Yeah, no, they’re my neighbors.” He laughed, getting out of the car and running to the opposite side. 

He took Armin’s suitcase and thanked Levi for taking it out of the trunk. Once again, the man ignored him and took a cigarette pack from his pocket and lit one, smoking it like it was the best thing on earth. 

Jean waited for Armin to get out of the car, but the blond was staring at the house, appreciating every piece of it’s architecture. It was so beautiful, big, and the boy didn’t even want to consider how much cost. 

The brunet took his hand and brought him back to reality like he usually had to do. Armin got out of the car and Jean took him to the door, pressing his ear against it trying to hear something inside. The blond stood there  _ —  _ Now carrying his own suitcase  _ —  _ confused about the other boy’s behavior. 

Jean knocked on the door and after a few seconds Armin heard a strong blow against the it and a bark from what seemed to be a huge dog on the other side. 

“Yeah, he’s awake.” Jean made Armin go down a few steps on the small stairs that lead to the porch. “You should stay here until I hold him. He’s kinda... Strong.”

Armin could only see a huge mass with low black fur being pushed by Jean’s hips while the boy slowly opened the door, trying to keep the dog in. After a few minutes he opened the door once again, holding a huge rottweiler b y the leash. 

“It’s okay now. Come in.” 

“I-I’m not going inside!!!” He was terrified. 

The dog was still jumping around and he didn’t think Jean could actually hold him, much less with that thin leash. 

“Relax, just come in and wait for him to calm down. I promise it’s fine.” 

Armin looked Jean in the eye and decided to trust him. He passed through the door, not even making eye contact with the dog and stood there in the middle of a huge hall. There were a lot of doors around and two curved stairs leading to the second floor. Behind them, there was a gigantic window from the first floor  that almost reached the  ceiling  with it’s oval top . In the middle of said ceiling there was a beautiful chandelier that Armin didn’t even want to know if it was made out of crystals. 

He stopped admiring the place when he felt something wet touching his fingers. It was the cold nose of the huge dog, no longer being held. Armin yelped and skipped to the side just like the first time he and Jean had met, but the funny thing was  _the dog_ ran away. 

Jean laughed at both of them and Armin smiled. He had really misjudged the poor animal. He extended his hand, calling him back and the dog came to him, sniffing his hand and licking it after. The blond petted him when he pressed his big head against the boy’s hips. 

“Hey, sweetie. What’s your name?” 

“This is Beast.” Jean laughed and softly pinched the dog that barely felt it. 

“...Beast?” Armin laughed. 

“Yeah... He was supposed to be a guard, but... He’s an idiot.” 

“Jean! That’s mean!” Armin pouted. 

“But it’s true! I’m not saying he’s a bad dog. He’s the best. But he is an idiot, aren’t you boy?” Jean hugged the dog and Armin could see he loved him.

“He just wants to be like his owner.” The blond couldn’t resist the joke.

“Oh, you little shit. Shut up.” He laughed, pushing Armin lightly. “Come, let’s put your stuff in my room.” 

Armin let go of the dog and followed Jean.  He saw a big door with the shape similar to the big window just below the stairs on the right.

“What’s in here?” Armin touched the door admiring the beautiful wood.

“None of your business. Come.” Jean pulled his hair delicately. 

“Ouch!” Armin wanted to protest, but he knew it would be rude. It was, indeed, none of his business. 

They got up the left stairs and passed by a bathroom and Armin washed his hands and face before heading to the room. Jean opened the door and it was almost the opposite of Armin's. His room had almost nothing on the walls while Jean had posters, swords, paintings, medals, shelves, mirrors... Pretty much anything you can put on a wall covered them. So much Armin took a while to realize the room’s color was a really light yellow. 

“Here, you can put your suitcase here.” Jean said, taking the suitcase himself and placing in a corner. 

Armin looked to his left and there was a king-size bed right there. He never saw a bed that big in his life so his hands instantly touched it. 

“Um... You can lay on it if you want.” Jean laughed. 

“Really???” He turned around, excited. 

“Yeah.” He laughed even more. “Go ahead. You can jump on it too if you want.”

He might never have the chance to do this, so he didn’t even hesitate. He stepped as far away from it as he could and ran, throwing himself on the huge bed. The mattress was so soft he bounced a few times before stopping, giggling like an idiot, hiding his mouth and nose with his hands. 

Jean closed the door and put one leg on each side of the blond’s waist, pulling his hands away from his face. 

“Hey, you can jump on it, but you can’t hide your smile.” He said, kissing the boy beneath him. 

“O-Okay.” He replied, biting his lower lip.

Jean laughed and held Armin’s hands above his head, kissing him again, using his tongue this time. 

_ I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of this. _

During the kiss, the sound of an intercom rang loudly  right next to them. Armin got startled and started looking around, trying to find it. Jean raised his upper body and got off the bed, pressing the button on the device placed on the wall right behind the nightstand. 

“Yeah?” 

“Welcome home, Sir. Do you or your guest need anything?”

“Do you want something? Water, something else to drink or eat...?” He turned to Armin.

“Um... Maybe a glass of water.” The blond sat on the bed, putting his weight on his arms.

He didn’t realize how thirsty he was until Jean mentioned it. 

“A glass of water, please. Thanks Erwin.”

Jean sat by the blond’s side and kissed him once again for a few seconds before there was a knock on the door and he had to let go.

A tall, good-looking man got into the room with the a glass filled with water, wrapped in a thin cloth. He used a black suit that contrasted with his blue eyes and blond hair.

“Here’s your water, Sir.” He handed it to Armin but the boy was too busy admiring the man’s features to hold it. 

Jean gave him a light slap on the leg to wake him up and the blond lowered his head out of embarrassment, taking the glass.

“T-Th-Thank you!” 

“You’re welcome, Sir.” He tried not to look much but he could see the older man smiling before leaving the room. 

This was the first time Armin felt attracted to another man besides Jean. Obviously he wasn’t in love with him or anything but this guy definitely made him blush a little. 

“Hey, I’m getting jealous.” Jean said, pinching his leg and laughing.

“I-I-I’m sorry! I-I’m so sorry! I had no intention-! I-!” He was so nervous he didn’t know what to say. 

“Relax!!!” Jean laughed even harder. “I’m not really jealous, I’m just messing with you. He’s hot, I know. It’s fine. Everyone drools over him.” 

“And... And you?” 

“I used to. When I was about fifteen I was crazy about him. But I got over it.” 

“I see...” Armin took a sip from his water imagining a fifteen years old Jean. 

“Oh! I almost forgot!” Jean got up from the bed and took a box out of one drawer on his desk. “This is for you! Merry Christmas.” 

It was a present, wrapped up in a red box with a golden ribbon.

“Oh, Jean... Thank you! But wait! I have something for you too, this time!” He smiled, opening his suitcase and taking his present and giving it to Jean. “Merry Christmas.” 

Jean smiled, taking the package and opening it. It was a sweater, but it was nowhere near professional. 

“I... I made it myself.”

“You _made_ it?”

“Yes! Um... My neighbor taught me while I was at home. It was hard, but I think I got the hang of it.” 

“This is amazing!” Jean wore the sweater. “Look. It fits!” 

“Of course it does. I know your size well.” 

After realizing what he’d said, he blushed and lowered his head. Jean lowered his own head and kissed him from below. 

“Thank you. It’s really great.” He smiled and Armin bit his lower lip.

“I’ll open mine now!” The blond took the package again and opened it. 

There were boxers inside. But not any boxers. These had a bunch of small beluga whale’s  printed on it.  Armin held them in his hands, trying not to laugh just like Jean was. 

“I was going to buy you another gift but... This is the best one I could ever give you.” He laughed.

“I hate you.” Armin pushed him, laughing as well while he got up and got into the bathroom on Jean’s suite. 

He took of his pants and boxers wearing the new ones and keeping his formal shirt. When he got out Jean stared at him, incredulous. 

“W-What?” Armin looked down, trying to see what was wrong.

“You’re so sexy that even wearing this stupid boxers you turn me on.” 

Armin’s eyes widened and he dropped the pants he held. 

“W-Wh-What are you saying??? S-Shut up!!!” He sat on the bed again, still looking down.

Jean laughed, pulling him in for a kiss. 

“Thank you. I loved my new sweater...”

“I loved my present as well.” He smiled, hugging the brunet. 

The boys laid on the bed and Armin didn’t even realize he’d fallen asleep in the brunet’s arms. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!!!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Armin is an embarrassing boyfriend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I took so long to write this. I've been busy, demotivated for some reason and my mind has been cheating on this series with a new work I'm planning to start (Maybe). So... Yeah. LOL!  
> But I hope you like it and have fun with it.

By the time Armin woke up it was about 6PM. Jean was still awake, hugging him and he honestly thought about just going back to sleep. He used Jean’s chest and the bed as his support and slowly sat on the bed.

“Hey, Sleeping Beauty.” Jean chuckled, sitting and moving his arms and upper body around to stretch his muscles.

“Sorry I slept too much.”

“It’s okay. You must’ve been tired. Do you wanna eat something?”

“I would love to.” He smiled.

“Let’s go then.” Jean got up giving him a quick peck on the lips and got out of the room.

Armin put on his pants and went after the other. Beast was sleeping on the side of the door and got up quickly, shoving his big face against Jean’s legs until the boy petted him. He repeated the action with the blond and after “paying the tool fee” they were allowed to move on.

When they went down the stairs and reached the hall, Jean’s handsome butler approached them and Armin instantly turned his head to the other side lowering it.

“Um... Sir, I’m currently making the preparations for the party and I’d like your opinion on a few matters since your parents haven’t come back yet.”

“Oh, yeah, okay. Just a sec. Armin, you can go by yourself and I’ll meet you there?”

“B-But I...”

“It’s okay. It’s right over there and no one will bother you. The only person you might find is the cook and-...” He stopped, realizing something, so he turned to Erwin. “Sasha isn’t here today, is she?”

“No, sir.” He smiled softly.

“Okay then.” He turned back to Armin, pointing to the hallway on their right. "See, no problem. It’s the third door on that hallway over there, Beast can take you. And if you want to go anywhere just tell him where you wanna go. He’ll guide you.”

“...A-Are you serious?”

“Super serious.”

“Wow. And you dare to say he’s an idiot.” Armin shook his head in disappointment. “Come on, baby. Let’s leave this silly owner of yours. I want to see the _kitchen_!”

He laughed, kneeling to hug the dog and left with him. He could hear Jean shouting “Screw you!” and laughed while he entered the hallway, following Beast.

It was gorgeous. It had paintings and mirrors hung on the walls, a beautiful carpet and tiny lights on the ceiling. The windows on the left side followed the shape of the big window from the hall but they were much smaller.

Armin spent so much time admiring the place he ended up tripping over Beast who’d gotten in his way since Armin had passed the kitchen door.

“Thanks buddy. Sorry for tripping over you.” He entered the kitchen, sitting on the counter. “You are really smart and-...What is it, boy? Why are you so agitated?” He held the dog by the leash while it jumped, restless.

Suddenly Marco rose from the other side of the counter and Armin nearly fell from the stool he sat on.

“HEY ARMIN!” He was _shouting_ and his shirt was a bit messy while his hair was a _complete_ mess.

“W-What were you doing over there? You nearly gave me a heart attack!” He knew Marco was Jean's neighbor but never expected to see him in his boyfriends kitchen, much less looking like this.

“I-I-I-I was... Looking for something.” He forced a smile.

“That is a lie.”

“O-Okay. It is, I was... Doing push-ups.” He tried again.

“...”

Armin didn’t even reply. He just stared at Marco with his most tired expression. The brunet sighted and looked at the floor he was laying before.

“Go. We’ll talk later.”

A girl about their age with dark hair and a maid uniform slightly out of place got up from the floor, without looking at Armin. The blond’s eyes widened, not expecting it and stared at Beast so he wasn't looking at the girl. From the corner of his eyes he could see Marco giving her a peck on the lips and she ran away.

“C-Can you... Be quiet about this for a while?” Marco combed his hair with his hand while he sat on the stool beside Armin’s.

“O-Of course... You... You’re keeping my secret, so...”

“I won’t tell. Even if you tell mine, I won’t tell yours. I promise. And what I mean is... Don’t tell Jean yet.”

“What?” Armin turned his head to Marco, confused. “I thought you told each other everything.”

“We do, and I will! I promise I’ll tell him. It’s just... Want to see where this is going. To see if it’s going to become something serious.”

“... You were... Rolling on the floor with her.”

“I know...” Marco replied, confused.

“How can this not be serious yet?”

“Well, this is just the first time we’ve actually been together.”

“But you were rolling on the floor with her!!! Her uniform and your shirt were all... Messed up!”

It didn’t make any sense to Armin. He knew what they were about to do, still it was the first time they’ve been together. He couldn’t understand this concept.

“We didn’t plan it. We’ve been flirting for a while, but I never thought anything would actually happen until it did.”

“How... How can you not know when this is going to happen?”

“Sometimes it just happens. When you realize it, it’s too late to stop.”

“I... I don’t understand.”

“You probably will. Just wait for it.”

“If you say so...” He highly doubted that. “And anyway, why don’t you want to tell Jean?”

“He's got a short temper and doesn't like when people mistreat his loved ones. Once, when we were eight I confessed to a girl and she turned me down. When I cried, Jean pushed the girl to the ground ans _screamed_ at her.”

“Oh my God!!! Poor thing!!!” Armin covered his mouth and nose with his hands.

“I know!!! I just don’t want him to be pissed off at her. She’s his maid, they can’t be making out with people in the middle of work. Besides, she's here because she really needs this job.”

“Okay, I will be quiet. But, come on, he’s grown! He’s probably matured by now.”

Marco raised his eyebrows, with a meaningful look at his face.

“Okay, he’s a baby. Forget I said anything.” Armin chuckled and Marco did the same. “But I was surprised to see you with her... I mean, I thought... I thought you were... L-Like us.”

He slightly lowered his head, still looking at Marco.

“Oh no! You found out my true identity as an alien! I’ll have to kill you now.” The boy replied it with the most serious face.

“You know what I mean!!! I-I mean... I thought you liked... What we like.” He still didn’t have the guts to say it out loud.

“You mean you thought I was gay?” He smiled kindly at Armin.

“Y-Yes...”

“No, no. I'm straight.” He laughed.

“Then... How come you are so close to Jean?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well... Until now, I’ve never known a straight person who was this close to someone... Someone who... Liked... T-The... The same...”

“To a gay person. Okay, okay, move on.” Marco got up and took soda from the fridge for himself and handed one to Armin.

“Thank you. The others have always been... Disgusted by it.”

“Well, I think it's because people still can't properly accept gay people. Not everyone, I mean. They still think gays wanna turn them or something. I’ve been best friends with Jean since we were kids, and he never had any doubts he was gay, but it was never something relevant to me.”

“R-Really? He always knew?”

“Yeah!” Marco laughed, confused.

“And how did you find out?”

“Well, it was always something everyone kinda knew, but I _think_ we were sure when he was five and went to one of our friend’s house and asked the boy to _marry_ him.”

“Oh my God!!!” Armin hid his face on his hands once again, but this time he was laughing hysterically.

“He even had a bouquet made out of flowers he stole from the little boy’s garden!!! ”

“He stole from the boy’s house???”

“Yes!!! His mother went crazy at the time, it was a mess.”

“MARCO!!!” Jean was at the door, blushing violently. “WHAT ARE YOU TELLING HIM???”

He punched the freckled boy in the arm, but it didn’t seem to have much effect because he continued to laugh. Armin tried to stop, but it was hard for him to do so.

“I’m telling him the truth!” He said, raising his arms trying to free himself from guilt. 

“Just shut up!!!” 

Jean was blushing and pouting so much Armin got up from the stool and gave him a soft kiss. When he saw Jean’s eyes widened, he realized what he’d done and blushed intensely, stepping away from the brunet.

“Soooo, I gotta go.” Marco got up, finishing his soda and threw the can on the garbage, trying to ease the mood. “I’ll see you guys in a few days, at the party?”

“Yeah, sure.” Jean said with a dumb look on his face.

Marco gave him a quick hug with a couple slaps on his back, waving at Armin who was still a bit dazed about his own behavior. Jean approached, holding the blond’s index finger with his own.

“It... It made me really happy.” He whispered, without making eye contact with the blond.

Armin smiled softly, his heart still beating fast.

 

\---------------------------------

 

The next day Armin woke up in the guest room, alone. It was really close to Jean’s but he missed sleeping by his side. The bed felt cold without his presence. He got up, washed his face and went to the brunet’s room. He got in and took a deep breath. He wanted to surprise him, to make something nice like the day before when he’d kissed the boy in front of Marco or something like this, but he had no idea how this kind of thing worked. So, he decided to improvise.

He laid by Jean’s side, kissing his cheek. When he realized it wasn’t enough, he tried kissing the boy’s neck and Jean woke up, smiling at him, caressing his cheek.

“Good morning...” Armin smiled, hugging the other.

“’Mornin’...” He rolled over, laying on top of the blond, kissing his neck.

Armin’s body seemed to move on his own when his hands wandered through Jean’s chest and arms. He knew how defined the brunet’s body was, specially after sleeping by his side for a while, but this felt different. The mood was different from usual.

Jean moved a little to kiss him on the lips and the blond could feel the swell on the brunet’s pants meet his own. He got scared for a moment, but Jean’s hips started to move slowly, matching the speed of his tongue inside the blond’s mouth which made all his fears be erased by that new feeling.

When Jean intensified his rhythm, his lips were no longer on Armin’s as the smaller boy started to feel numb with pleasure and strongly held Jean’s shoulders. A weird feeling invaded his body and he could barely recall when he'd felt it for the last time before his mind went blank and his back was no longer touching the mattress.

When he got back to reality, he was breathless just like the boy above him. Jean’s eyes were barely open when he lowered his head once again to kiss Armin.

“D-Did I... Did I just...?” The blond tried to gathered the words.

“Y-Yeah...That's how it's supposed to go.” Jean laughed.

“B-But... It was... It was different...” He could feel his cheeks burning from the moment and his embarrassment. “It was... M-Much... B-Better...”

“I-I was hoping it would be.”

Jean’s blush increased as he lowered himself, hiding his face between Armin's neck and shoulder. The blond could feel his beating heart as he caressed his head and hugged his neck, thinking about what had just happened. He finally understood Marco’s words. He'd only realized what was happening when they were done.

He was so intrigued by the whole incident, specially because his body had never felt like that before. He’d read about intercourse in books, so he tried to remember everything even though he wasn’t sure if this counted as a “intercourse”.

“What happened to me... Was it an org-” Jean’s hands were covering his lips before he could finish.

“D-DON’T ASK ME THAT!!!” If it wasn’t for his hair, Jean’s head could easily confused with a tomato when he rose it to look at Armin.

“W-Why??? I... I’m asking a scientific question!” He took the boy’s hand out of his mouth.

“And that’s why it’s embarrassing!!!”

“But I’m curious!”

“Then go read a book!!!”

“I _have_ read them!!! But they don’t describe how it feels!”

“B-But don’t ask _me_! Oh my God, this is the worst pillow talk ever.”

“What is ‘pillow talk’?”

“I-It’s... I don’t wanna explain this to you!!!” Jean got up, getting a pair of boxers from his cabinet and took the ones he was wearing.

“JEAN!!!” Armin sat on the bed and covered his eyes. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING???”

“I-I was about to take a shower!!!”

“Y-You’re naked!!!”

“Hold on... We can walk around in underwear, share a bed, kiss, fucking... Fucking rub our dicks together but you can’t see me naked?”

“STOP DESCRIBING IT!!! AND OF COURSE I CAN’T!!! This is so embarrassing!!!”

“And how was your talk before _not_ embarrassing???”

“I was asking a scientific question about the human body! This is different!”

“Yes. That was horrible, this is fine.”

“It is _not_ fine!!!”

He was starting to feel uncomfortable with those pants, but he was too ashamed and nervous to get up. Jean’s brain probably worked in a different way than his, but he understood since he had mixed feelings about it. Part of him was curious to see what Jean was like under his boxers, but another part knew he wasn’t ready for it yet. It didn’t make any sense in his mind, but it did in his heart. So, until they reached an agreement, things should stay like this.

“I'm dressed now. Do you want me to get your suitcase for you?”

“P-Please...”

Armin didn't lower his hands until he heard the room’s door close. When Jean came back he got a new pair of boxers and clean clothes to wear while the other took a shower. After a few minutes they switched places and when he got out of the shower Jean was fully dressed, sitting on a chair, waiting for him.

“Can we go eat breakfast?” He asked, getting up.

“Y-Yes...I-I'm sorry about...”

“It's fine. I understand things are going a little too fast for you." Jean smiled and held Armin’s face so he could give him a kiss. "Let’s go.”

They went to the kitchen and a young girl was preparing what seemed to be lunch. She was different from the lady who'd prepared dinner for them the night before. 

"H-Heeeeey, Sasha..." Jean forced a smile.

"Hey, Jean! I'mjustmakinglunch!Doyouwantbreakfast?Icanmakeitforyou.Whatdoyouwant?Hey,who'syourfriend?Whatdoeshewanttoeat?Icouldmakeafewpancakesoreggsandbaconor..."

If Armin thought his grandfather didn't wait for him to reply it's because he haven't met Sasha yet. Her sentences seemed to be just one giant word because her pauses were almost unnoticeable. 

"Sasha, breath. Speak slowly, not everyone can understand you."

"Oh! Sorry! Whaaat doo yooou guuuys waant fooor luuunch?" 

"We'll have some of your delicious pancakes, please."

"Coming right up!" She smiled and started to prepare them.

“Sorry about this." Jean chuckled, sitting on the stool to wait for the meal. "When we're done here I'll show you something.”

“What is it?” 

“What’s behind that door under the stairs.”

Armin’s eyes widened along with his smile. 

_Finally!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeeey~...  
> So, I'm sorry if the scene wasn't sexy enough. I wasn't made to write this kind of thing.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Armin finds out what's behind the door under the stairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was so excited about this chapter!!! I just hope the ending was okay for you guys. I was hoping it would be better. Sorry! (o;TωT)o

Armin ate his meal so fast he felt a little sick after it. Partially because Sasha’s pancakes were, indeed, delicious, but mostly because his curiosity was killing him. Jean, on the other hand was taking his time, enjoying every bite, staring at Armin as he did.

“Why are you taking so long?” He finally said, anxious.

“I’m enjoying my breakfast. Shut it.”

“But Jeaaaaaann...” He moaned, stretching his arms against the counter and placing his face between them, his nose rubbing on the cold granite.

“No buuuut, Armiiiiiin...” He mocked, copying the boy's moan.

“You are the worst.” The blond quickly rose his head, pouting.

“Thanks.” Jean smirked like the bastard he was and started eating again.

After torturous forty five minutes, Jean finally finished his meal, taking both plates to the sink. He thanked Sasha once again while he gave her ponytail a delicate pull. She complained but he laughed it off, walking out of the kitchen while being followed by Armin.

When they reached the door, Jean stopped in front of it, turning to the blond.

“Listen, I’ll let you see what’s inside, _however_  — He raised his voice and Armin stopped looking at the door to look at him — You have to promise me, right now, that you’ll only enjoy it until the 29th. And I mean at midnight. December 29th, at midnight, you’ll have to leave. Deal?”

He offered his hand for a shake and Armin stared at it for a moment before raising his eyes to Jean’s face.

“Jean, what is inside of this room? If you have a beluga whale in there I will never speak to you again.”

“It’s not a beluga.” He laughed. “Deal?”

He repeated, lowering his eyes for a second so Armin’s attention would be directed to his hand. The blond hesitated, but shook his hand muttering a “Deal.”. Jean smiled and ordered him to close his eyes, without letting go of his hand.

Armin did as he was told and he heard the door opening making him almost open his eyes, but decided to wait for permission. It was getting impossible when Jean pulled him in and allowed him to look.

When his eyes opened there was the hugest, most beautiful library he’d ever seen. There were gigantic bookcases that reached the ceiling filled with _thousands_ of books. Armin could hear someone in the room letting out a moan-like sound that echoed through the walls. But it was not until he realized his own hands were squeezing his face that he understood it was him who was responsible for those sounds.

“Should I give you two a moment?” Jean laughed.

“I think it’s important that you do.” Armin used a chair nearby to support himself while he admired the place, his other hand on his chest, while he tried to calm down so he wouldn't have a heart-attack.

He heard Jean leave the room and close the door so he let out a groan, allowing himself fall to the ground, laying there. His smile wouldn’t go away but he took less than two minutes to collect himself and walk around the place.

There were two rolling ladders, one of each side of the room, which enabled the access to all the books. Armin had only seen those in movies so he touched the one on the right, moving it a little. He bit his lip, tempted, and rolled it to the beginning of the library.

He couldn’t resist his childish urges and ran, carrying the ladder with him and jumped on it, letting it roll him over the room. He giggled, enjoying the wind in his hair when he heard Jean’s voice again.

“Are you having fun, Belle?” The brunet had his hands inside the pockets of his coat, smiling.

Armin got down instantly — Nearly falling on his butt while doing so — and held the ladder, making it stop. He turned to Jean and ran to the boy, holding his hands close to his own chest.

“Oh, Jean, please, pleeease, can I read them? Please?” He begged.

“Wha-? Of course! Did you think I was going to bring you here just to look at them?”

“Oh, thank you!!! Thank you so much!!!” He closed the door behind them and pulled Jean in for a kiss.

He was definitely enjoying it, but while his hands were around the brunet’s neck, his eyes were roaming the room, wondering where he’d find the most interesting book in the time Jean had give him.

He felt a slap against his head and Jean pulled away.

“Go read your books, you nerd.” He pouted.

“I-I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! I promise we will spend hours kissing when the time is up. I promise!” He gave Jean another kiss and pulled the ladder once again climbing it to reach a book on a top shelf.

There were so many options he didn’t even know where to start. He decided to be clichè and start with a book about the ocean he's found on one of the top shelves. He took it and started reading without even getting down from the ladder. He used one of the steps as a seat and other to support his feet while he used his legs as a table.

The book wasn’t very thick, so he finished it in a few hours and took another one from the same shelf. This one was about the ocean creatures and he felt his heart beat faster when he got to the part it talked about his beloved beluga whales. It even had information he didn’t know about them and he was simply amazed by it.

This book was large, so by the time he’d finished he could see the sun was setting outside, painting the whole library with a beautiful orange tone. He noticed a sandwich and a glass of juice were at one of the tables, so he got down after putting the book back in it’s place. When he touched the sandwich, he realized it was cold and the juice was warm.

He opened the door to thank Jean, but he wasn’t there. He sat in one of the chairs to eat it after taking another book from the shelf and started reading. He made sure to properly clean his hands on the napkin before turning the pages.

At some point his leg itched and he rose it to scratch it without taking his eyes from the book. When he did, he felt something touch his knee on the underside of the table. He put the sandwich down and bent over to see a button underneath. He pushed it and the table was split in two parts, pushing away from each other. He took the book on one hand and the plate and glass on the other just in time because both sides of the table fell to it’s side. He realized a blackboard was now it’s new surface.

“Wooooah! This is amazing!” He put everything down on another table and searched for a marker.

He found five of them attached to the side of the board, each from a different color. He smiled, excited and searched for another kind of book this time.

 

\---------------------------------

 

After a few hours, Armin was taking notes on the blackboard when he heard a familiar voice.

“Whatcha doing over there?” Jean was leaning against the closed door behind him.

“Oh, no, wait!” He walked to Jean, smiling, raising his hands so the boy wouldn't come closer. “Bonsoir, je m’appelle Armin. Je suis enchanté de vous rencontrer.” [Good evening. I’m Armin. Nice to meet you.]

Jean stared at him with a tired expression while he waited for the brunet’s reaction.

“You learned French.”

“Well, just a little bit.” He laughed. “Did I pronounce it correctly? I used that stereo over there, but I can only listen and repeat it. Was everything okay?”

“A little formal and with an accent, but... Yeah. Pretty much. But, wait a sec.” Jean took the book Armin had been reading. “This is all in French. How did you understand it?”

“Well, you see, this one over here is the English version, so I just used Italian as a ‘base’, since they are both Romance Languages, and started to deduce a few words and expressions. I also used this dictionary for the words I just couldn’t understand from the context. And there was an audio book from a different book that I used to learn the pronunciation.”

Jean looked slightly angry. Armin widened his eyes wondering what he’d done.

“You learned French. In four hours. In my library. With the translation of a book.” He repeated the actions, staring at the boy. “I fucking hate you.”

“W-WHY??? What have I done???”

“You wanna learn French, huh, mister smarty-pants? Then let me ask you this: Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?” He smiled, smugly.

Armin stood there for a moment, in shock. He didn’t know what Jean had said it but he now understood why people said French was the most romantic language out there. He felt a chill down his spine when Jean spoke and had to hear it again.

“C-Can you... Can you say it again? I... I didn’t take notes...” He took the marker and wrote the sentence as Jean said it once again. “Okay, so... You want, no, you are asking if I want something...”

“Oh my God, you have no social culture.”

“What do you mean?” He pouted, turning to the brunet.

“Everyone on earth knows this sentence, except you.”

“That is not possible. And I _will_ know it. In a moment. I think they used this ‘coucher avec’ in the book...”

He searched for a while until he found it. Then, he searched for the equivalent on the English translation. His eyes widened and he turned to Jean, who still had a triumphant smirk on his face.

“J-JEAN!!!” He used the book to hit him in the arm. “W-What are you asking me?”

The brunet was laughing like there was no tomorrow while Armin blushed violently and hit him, losing his strength in every swing until Jean finally took the book from his hand and threw it on the table.

“D-Don’t throw it!!!” He pushed the boy without using much force.

“Oh, shut it. You were hitting me with it.” He laughed, holding Armin’s wrists and lowering them so he could get closer. “You still haven’t given me an answer, though.”

He whispered, his lips inches away from Armin’s.

“...I-I... I don’t... I-...” Armin tried to form sentences in his head but it was nearly impossible.

“Don’t worry.” He pulled the blond closer to him, so their bodies were united. “You don’t have to say ‘yes’ now. You can say it some other time. But I’d still like to hear it someday, y'know?”

When they kissed this time, not even the books could take Armin’s attention away from Jean. It felt so amazing he even grabbed the brunet’s hair without realizing it in order to deepen the kiss and his mouth felt empty when the other boy backed away.

“Go enjoy your time with your damn books, nerd.” Jean pinched one of Armin's butt cheeks earning a slap on the arm from the embarrassed boy.

Jean got out of the library and the blond gave up on the French lessons. The other had turned them into a complete different kind of ‘fun’ and it was not the time for him to be thinking about this kind of thing. He had until midnight of the 29th to read as many books as he could.

He decided to get a different book, this time, one with an non-French-related narrative to take his mind of certain handsome boyfriend. He was almost finishing it when he started to feel sleepy, but he didn’t realize he’d actually fallen asleep until someone was saying something to him. Then, this same person carried him for some time. He recognized that fragrance he felt when he was being carried and enjoyed it until he was gently put on a bed. A blanket covered him and he heard the person say something, but he was too tired to listen. He slept once again with a soft hand caressing his head.

 

\---------------------------------

 

When he woke up the next day the sun was already shinning bright. He got up quickly and dashed out of his room to reach the library. He passed through Jean’s room but the door was open and no one was inside. He quickly brushed his teeth, rushing to the hall.

Jean was waiting for him with a plate filled with eggs and bacon, a glass on the other hand and a smile on his face.

“’Mornin’, loser.”

“Good morning, Jean.” He smiled, taking the plate and glass.

He thought about kissing him, but the image of one of the maids working in the kitchen made him stop. Instead he smiled shyly.

“Are you sure you don’t mind me reading?”

“If you keep your promise, no.”

“O-Okay then. Please tell me if you do.”

“I will.” He got closer and whispered in Armin’s ear. “But I’ll go over there later to get my ‘Good morning’ kiss.”

“Please do.” Armin chuckled, walking into the library.

 

\---------------------------------

 

The day seemed to pass by in the blink of an eye. Armin was laying on the ground, using the table as a support so his legs would be in the air and Beast had become his new pillow. The dog had barked outside of the door a few hours earlier and the blond had let him in. When he laid on the ground, the dog seemed so soft he couldn’t resist.

“What’s with this position?” Jean laughed when he walked into the room.

“Oh, hi! I just like reading like this.”

“Well, it’s midnight.”

Armin checked the clock and it marked 00:12.

“Ohh, can I take this book, please? I promise I will read only before bed. I just want to finish it.”

“Okay, okay, fine. But not today.” He took the book from the blond’s hand, closing it after placing a bookmark between it’s pages.

Armin got up with Jean’s help and they walked to the brunet’s bedroom. They sat on the bed for a couple hours, chatting and playing cards, until the sleep caught up to them.

“Argh, let’s go to bed. I’m not even thinking anymore.” Jean chuckled, gathering the cards.

“You’re just saying that because I’m winning.” Armin helped him, smiling.

“Oh, shut up!” He pushed the boy. “So... Did you have fun at the library?”

“I did! Thank you so much for being so sweet and understanding. I... I don’t know why you want to date me, but... I’m really glad you do.” He caressed Jean’s hand.

“What are you talking about? You’re perfect. I should be the one saying this. You’re so smart and kind... I-...” He took a deep breath. “I love you.”

Armin felt his heart beat incredibly fast while Jean turned his face to the side, blushing. He pulled the boy by the collar of his shirt, kissing him on the cheek.

“...I-... I love you too.” It came out as a whisper, but Armin had put all his efforts into saying those words.

Jean stared at him with widened eyes for a few seconds before holding his face and kissing him. Armin wrapped his arms around the taller boy’s neck and felt him delicately scratching his nape.

They laid on the bed, kissing until they were out of breath. The smaller laid close to the other, hugging him.

“I... I would like to sleep here tonight. I-If you are okay with it.” He asked, without raising his head to look Jean in the eyes.

“O-Of course! I-I’d love that.” The brunet pulled him closer, kissing his head and covering them.

“Thank you.” He smiled, closing his eyes.

He knew the relationship was taking baby steps, but still, he was moving forward. And even if it took some time, he hoped one day he’d be brave enough to admit, even in front of his grandfather, how much he loved Jean. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> JFC, Jean's house is so huge and weirdly designed (I'm sorry if there are engineers/architects reading this story. I know nothing about those subjects.) that I actually had to draw maps for it so I wouldn't miss anything. 
> 
>  
> 
> Thank you for reading, guys.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which another baby step is taken.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the delay. I'm super busy with college right now, so the updates will take some time. I'm really sorry. *Bows*

Armin woke up feeling a chill down his spine. He realized Jean's hand was on his hair and the boy's lips kissed his nape. Armin bit his own lower lip, enjoying the feeling until his body betrayed him and he let out a low moan.

"How long have you been awake?" Jean chuckled, his mouth still touching Armin's skin.

"One or two minutes." He confessed, turning around to face the brunet.

"Nooo, don't turn around! I've been dreaming with this nape since the day we met!" 

"Are you serious?" Armin laughed.

"Super serious. Finally kissing it is like a dream come true." 

"J-Jean!" Armin blushed, hiding his face in Jean's chest. 

"What? It's the truth!" He laughed.

"S-Shut up..." 

Jean was so embarrassing. He just said those romantic things without even realizing the effects they had on Armin. He was always so honest. 

"Hey, you wanna go for a swim?" Jean asked, caressing the blond's head.

"Swim? Like in a pool?" Armin looked at his boyfriend.

"Yeah. Wanna go?”

"Yes!!! Yes I do!!! I didn't even know you had a pool!"

"I have one." Jean chuckled. "It's in the yard."

"Really?" Armin got up and ran to the window.

He honestly didn't know how he hadn't noticed that pool before. Like everything else in Jean's house, it was huge and it looked really deep.

"Wooah... Oh, wait! But I don’t have a bathing suit...”

"It’s fine, you can use mine.” Jean searched for one on his dresser and threw it at Armin.

The blond took it, going into the bathroom to change.

"Hey, Armin!” Jean shouted from the outside.

"Yes?"

"There’s sunblock inside the cabinet. Put it on. You’re way too white and we don’t want you toasting.” He chuckled.

Armin looked at himself, slightly embarrassed. He never liked the color of his skin, but it’s not like he had a pool or a place to lay there and just tan, specially because his father always made sure he hid his body with long sleeves and pants.

_Jean probably doesn’t like it too. After all, who would?_

He stared at himself in the mirror and sighed.

 _Stop it. Even if he doesn’t like your skin, he loves you. He told you so last night. He loves you_ despite _that. He is obviously crazy, but who cares? What matter is that he loves you._

Armin decided to shake it off and get ready. He put on sunscreen, brushed his teeth and left the bathroom wearing a shirt and his boyfriend’s trunks. When he did, Jean had already changed and sat on the bed, waiting for him.

"Ready?” Jean asked.

"Ready!” He smiled at the brunet, and the boys went downstairs.

Erwin was waiting for them in the hall.

"Good morning.” He smiled at the boys. “Sir, have you checked what I requested?”

"Uhh... Yeah. He’ll need one.” Jean replied, a little nervous.

"Very well.” Erwin left with a smirk and Armin was still trying to understand what happened.

"What was that about?”

"Your suit for the party.”

"I don’t need a suit, I brought one.”

"Well, now you’ll get a new one.”

"But Jean, I can not afford a new suit!”

"It’s fine, I’m paying.”

"But I don’t want you paying for things!” He stood up in front of Jean as they entered the hallway on the left. “I don’t want to be a burden to you, I just...”

"Armin, relax. You’re not _making_ me pay for anything, I’m doing so because I want to.” He touched Armin’s cheek, caressing it.

_That is not the point. I don’t want to be the boyfriend that makes you spend money for no reason._

"I... I don’t-... Please, let me pay for it. For something.”

"Armin, look... I’m not trying to buy your love or anything. I just... I have money, okay? For now, at least. I won’t be rich in the future. My parents will, but I won't. I mean, come on! I’m gonna be a teacher, we’ll starve.” He chuckled and Armin would have too if he wasn’t so uncomfortable. “But I still wanna give you the best life I can. So, if I have money now, I wanna spend it on you. I’m not spending my parents money or anything. If you’re _that_ uncomfortable I’ll stop, but I really wish I could give you stuff.”

"You _can_ give me things. I will too. But... Give me a book, pay for junk food, pay for a movie ticket... Just don’t buy me suits, cellphones or dates with sea animals!” He sighed, holding Jean’s hand and lowering it. “I loved all these things, I really did. But I don’t want to be the guy that makes you spend your money. _Even_ if you want to give it to me.”

He added quickly, before Jean had the chance to retort.

"Okay, fine. Even so, I still have to give you the suit. Erwin will kill me if I told him I don’t need it anymore. I should’ve asked you when you arrived.”

"Fine. But this is the last time, okay?”

"Alright.” He smiled, entwining their fingers.

"W-We should go...” Armin looked at their hands, hesitating before letting go.

"Yeah, come on.”

They passed walked to the end of the hallway where there was an open dinning room, with a veranda — Probably used for barbecues considering the large and fancy grill — with chairs and tables. The pool was not too far and it had a little fence around it and a pole with an intercom covered by a small parasol which Armin found adorable. 

 

\---------------------------------

 

The boys were still playing on the pool when Erwin’s voice was heard and both boys looked at the intercom by the fence.

"Mr. Kirstein is home.”

Jean was holding Armin’s hands but his head turned in a second. He got out of the pool, running to the intercom, pressing the button.

"We’ll be right there!” He turned to Armin again. “Come on, come on! My father is home, you gotta meet him!”

He smiled, excited, drying himself with the towel. Armin got out as fast as possible, squeezing his own shirt and hair.

The boys walked back to the house and Jean’s steps were so large and quick the blond was having a hard time following him. They passed through the open dining room and the hallway until they reached the hall, where Jean’s father was talking to Erwin.

"Dad!” Jean had the brightest smile when he ran up to his father and hugged him.

Armin had never seen the boy like that and he had to admit it was really cute.

"Hey son!” The man hugged Jean, putting one hand on his hair. “You went to the pool, didn't you?”

"Yeah...” He laughed.

"And you _had_ to hug me while you're still wet, didn't you?” Even though he said that, he wouldn't let go of his son.

"Yes, I did.” He laughed again.

"You little bastard.” He gave the boy another tight squeeze before letting him go. “Hey, who’s your friend?”

"Oh, right!” Jean seemed to finally remember Armin was there. “T-This is Armin! He’s my roommate from college!”

"Oh, I see. Nice to meet you, Armin.”

When Jean’s father turned and extend his hand the blond could clearly see where Jean had gotten his good looks. His father wasn't that young but he could easily be a model or something similar. He and his soon looked very much alike and if Jean would turn out looking like that Armin was a really lucky guy.

"H-H-Hello, S-Sir, Um- Mr. Kirstein.” He held the man’s hand.

"HOLY SHIT, YOUR HAND IS _FREEZING_!!! Are you okay???”

_So blunt, just like his son._

"DAD!!!” Jean covered his own face with one hand and put the other on his hips. “His... His hands are always like this, he’s fine!”

Armin looked at his hands, wondering if they were really that cold.

"If you say so... Well, we should have lunch, I’m starving!” He said, walking to the open dinning room like nothing had happened a moment ago.

The boys changed and had lunch with Jean’s father. Armin realized he was the best guy on earth after his son. Not only his looks, but his mannerisms, the way he spoke, the things he said... Everything was so similar to Jean he might have made the boy all by himself, if it wasn't for Jean’s dashing hazel eyes. His father had deep green eyes and Armin caught himself staring at the two men in the room to compare.

"You okay, kid?” When he realized Jean’s father was looking at him, worried.

"Y-Yes! I’m sorry, Mr. Kirstein!” He lowered his head, taking another bite from his food.

"Please, Edmund is fine.” He smiled. “Honestly, Jean, I dunno how this lovely kid puts up with you.”

He laughed and Jean let out an indignant “Hey!”, poking his father on the arm with his fork. Jean’s father not only did the same, but even started a little sword fight — With all the sound effects — with his son.

It was like sitting on a table with a couple five year olds, but Armin felt so at home. It was horrible for him to think so, but he felt more at home in Jean’s house than his own. This dinner was so pleasant, they talked about Edmund’s business trips — Turns out he was the owner of some company — and he was so open-minded and honest.

No wonder Jean could be so fine with his sexuality. It was easy with this man. It was reassuring to know there were people like him in the world. And it was even better to see Jean smiling like that. Armin never thought he could look even better than usual.

"Son, you’re drooling a bit.” Edmund was talking to Armin this time.

"W-What?” He quickly straightened up and touched his chin. It was dry.

"Oh my God, you just checked, didn’t you?” Even their laugh was the same. “It was a joke. You were staring at my son, so I made a joke.”

"N-No, dad, he’s not-...!” Jean’s smile vanished and he denied quickly.

Armin leaned on the table, looking around, making sure no one else was on the room before his eyes stopped at Jean’s father.

"A-Am... Am I that obvious?” He whispered, smiling and blushing.

"You tell me. This was your face.” Edmund replied, making a stupid face while staring at his son like he was in love with him.

"Oh my God!” Armin laughed, covering face. “This is horrible!”

"Don’t blame me. You were the one making this face.”

"Armin, you...” Jean finally spoke after quite a while in silence.

"I-It’s fine...” He smiled and looked at Edmund for a second.

"What? What’s wrong?” The man looked at both boys, confused.

"He... He isn’t... Telling anyone for now.” Jean said.

"Oh, really? I see... It’s fine, I’ll keep my mouth shut.” The man smiled.

"Thank you, sir.” Armin reciprocated the smile and the conversation topic was changed.

 

\---------------------------------

 

The following days might have been the best days of Armin’s life. Being with Jean was amazing, but being with him and his family was even better. His father would spend time with them, which made Jean incredibly happy, but he’d also give the boys the perfect amount of privacy. Except for Jean, who got his family pictures exposed to Armin. The blond had to admit he never thought his boyfriend could be so cute. As a baby he was round as a little ball. And his chubbiness didn't go away until he was about fourteen of fifteen years old. That's when he started looking incredibly handsome. Fifteen year old Jean was just _something else_. But obviously Armin kept that part to himself. 

Jean’s mother arrived on the last day of the year. Unlike his father, she didn’t look so much like Jean, but her eyes didn’t lie. They were beautiful just like her son’s. She was just as nice as Edmund, but much more anxious and a little less honest. She never stood still for more than five minutes and asked Armin if he needed anything about a million times a day.

When the sun had set the boys started getting ready for the party. The moment Armin got out of the shower and put on his new suit, he barely recognized himself. It was so beautiful and fit his body so perfectly that for the first time in his life he felt confident. The front of his hair was pulled back while the rest of it was loose and he honestly thought the guy in the mirror was handsome.

Jean knocked on the door after a few minutes later.

"Armin, can I come in?”

"Sure!”

"What’s taking you so long?” Jean laughed, getting in. He looked even more handsome than usual too. “Wow... You look... Wow.”

"Thank you.” He laughed, holding the brunet’s hand.

"Hold on a second.” Jean stood behind him, holding his waist without letting go of his hand. “Man, you look good. We're so fucking hot together.”

"Aw, no!” Armin let himself go, pushing Jean to the side. “You’re making me look less handsome. Let me enjoy it for a moment. Go away!”

He laughed and Jean pushed him as well.

"I was being super romantic, you little shit!” He pulled Armin and kissed him, laughing. “Ugh, come on. We have to go now.”

 

\---------------------------------

 

The party was just the cherry on the cake for Armin’s little vacation. It was a beautiful party that took the whole hall, the whole left hallway — Including the two dinning rooms and the living room in it — along with the veranda. People were dressed up in a way Armin had only seen on the red carpet. The boys walked around while Jean introduced himself, talking to a lot of people for about an hour before they left the house.

There was also a small “house” on the yard, past the pool, that was designated to the young people. While the party in the main house was quiet, with only the sound of people’s talk and the live band playing classical music, the one in the small house was loud, with a DJ and a bunch of kids their age or a little younger dancing and flirting with each other.

Armin did his best to let himself go and when Marco arrived — Accompanied by Mina — he even “learned a few moves” from the freckled boy. He actually just stood there, blushing and laughing while Marco held his hips, shaking them in the most embarrassing ways. Jean and Mina stood close to them, laughing so much tears came out of their eyes and they even cheered a few times.

Five minutes before midnight Marco and Jean had escaped. Armin and Mina were left chatting by the window for a while until they came back three minutes later.

“Hey, come on, get out.” Jean said, holding something under his shirt.

They went out and a moment later the DJ lowered the music to tell everyone it was almost midnight. The group hid behind the house and Jean took two bottles of champagne from under his shirt.

"Where did you get that?” Mina widened her eyes, shocked.

"I stole it from the kitchen.” Jean said, taking of the wrapper from the top and loosening the wire that held the cork in place.

"Oh my God. I’m so getting fired after this party.” The girl put one hand on her forehead, nervous.

"Relax.” Marco laughed and gave her a kiss as he took a knife from his own suit and handed it to Jean. “Are you sure you can do this?”

"Yeah, don’t worry. Shut up, it’s almost New Year!” Jean replied, holding the knife with his right hand and the bottle with the left.

They all waited and the DJ started the countdown, accompanied by the chorus of everyone in the premises.

"Three, two, one... HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!”

They all screamed with all their might and Jean removed the cork with a swift move of the knife.

"Ha!!! Take that, freckles!!! Told you I could do it!” He shoved the bottle in Marco’s hands, celebrating.

"You did!” Marco admitted, taking a gulp from the bottle and passing it to Mina.

The girl did the same and passed the bottle to Jean. Marco pulled her by the waist and kissed her while Jean drank, passing it to Armin next. The blond glanced at the couple next to them and saw Mina’s arms around Marco's neck while they kissed. That’s what he wanted. To be able to hold Jean like that no matter where they were.

Armin took a long gulp and grabbed Jean’s hair, pulling him for a kiss. This time, his tongue was the one claiming Jean’s mouth. The brunet was probably a little surprised but in no time he was holding Armin’s waist, pulling him closer and deepening the kiss.

The blond didn't think about anything else at the moment.. He didn't care about the people close to them, about Marco, not even about Mina. No one mattered for him, except the tall, handsome boy, filling his mouth with the taste of champagne. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Why do we have a billion names for swimsuits? I actually had use Wikipedia to find out the word "trunks". I don't even know all these names in my own language!!! orz)


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there's a calm before the storm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH MY GOD!!! This took a long time to be updated. And I apologize. D: I've been incredibly busy and I wanted to think every detail from this chapter and the next so I can create a proper story where it all makes sense and happens when it's supposed to, so... Yeah. I'm really sorry for making you wait. *Bows*
> 
> I was also going to put some extra scenes and make it two chapters, but I decided to move on with the story. So I just made a huge one. LOL!
> 
> BTW, there's more awkward sex in this chapter. I'm trying not to give much detail because I don't want to change the rating to Explicit for many reasons, but if you guys feel uncomfortable, please let me know and I'll so something about it.  
> In fact, if you feel uncomfortable about anything, please let me know. I do my best not to offend anyone, but I might do it without realizing it.  
> (And I _am_ writing a story involving offensive topics, after all. So... Yeah.)
> 
> (BTW², JFC, 12 chapters!!! I thought this would be over by chapter 10! What the hell happened???)

The group continued to talk and drink until the sun came out. Armin was still not used to alcohol, so he was feeling really dizzy when they decided to go back to the house. Everyone had left and Armin remembered them going to some house on the premises and talking to some guy.

_Who was he again? Ohhh, yeaaah... The driver. How can you forget the driver? He nearly killed you. Why is everyone laughing?_

The other three were, indeed, chuckling when they knocked on the door. Armin didn’t really remember the talk. There was something about “getting laid”, “necklace” and “brats”.

_Funny word. Brats. Braaaaats._

The group went back to the main house and Jean took Armin’s face in his hands, telling him to be quiet.

“My father can’t find out we’re drunk, okay?” He said, slowly.

“Ookie dookie.” Armin made sure to reply, making an "OK" sign with his fingers.

_...Anything you say, sexy._

Jean rolled his eyes, massaging the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger.

“Ohh, we’re so fucked. Let’s go. Bye, guys!” He waved at Mina and Marco.

_Bye, Mina! Bye Marco._

He took Armin’s hand and nearly ran through the halls.

_Ohh, these halls are so pretty._

“Armin, please remember: I need you to be quiet.” He turned his head for a second.

Armin nodded lightly and put his index finger in front of his face with a serious expression.

“Boys?” A female voice echoed as they passed the hall.

_Who is this???_

Armin turned around, looking for the source. Jean’s mother was standing on the hall, with his father.

 _Oh, look. It's Edmund. Oh Edmund, you’re so hot._ So _hot. No wonder your son is this fine sample of a man._

Everyone was staring at Armin and then Jean’s parents turned his attention to the brunet.

“How did you get him drunk?” Edmund asked.

“... We took two bottles from the kitchen last night. W-We just wanted to celebrate! I swear, he’s just a light drinker.”

_Heeeeeeeeey!!!_

Edmund looked back at Armin, rolling his eyes.

“Go to your room, we’ll talk later.”

Jean nodded and pulled Armin to follow him up the stairs.

 _Oh, Edmund, this is no punishment. There are only kisses and making out in his room! And_ friction _._

Jean nearly _squeezed_ Armin’s arm out and rushed to his room. He pushed the blond to his bed and started shouting at him. Armin’s didn’t really listen to what he was saying. He was too busy checking the boy out.

 _Jean, you’re so fine. Sooooo fine. I could just lick you. What if I_ did _lick you? What a great idea. I wonder if other people thought of this. Licking someone else. I’m so clever._

And then he blacked out.

 

\---------------------------------

 

It was already nighttime when Armin woke up again. His head was hurting but he didn't feel nauseated this time. Jean said his parents were waiting them to have dinner and Armin got up. He took a quick shower and changed his clothes.

They had another peaceful meal that Armin would have enjoyed properly if his head didn't hurt so much. The boys got back to Jean’s room and Armin immediately fell on the bed, too tired to even change.

 

\---------------------------------

 

By morning, on the next day, Armin was feeling much better. Jean’s parents had left earlier to another business trip and the boys would return to the dorms. Armin spent a long time saying goodbye to Beast before getting into the car.  
Marco arrived a few minutes later.

“Hey, sorry I’m late.” He said while Levi put the boy’s suitcase on the trunk, slamming the door shut.

Marco sat by Jean’s side and the boys talked for hours until they were thrown to the front of the car — Luckily everyone was wearing a seat belt — when Levi suddenly stopped the car.

“We’re here. Get the fuck out.”

Marco and Jean had to hold their laughs, but Armin didn't really know why they were laughing, or why Levi was in such a bad mood. The trio took their suitcases and Levi left so fast the tires made a loud sound. They crossed the yard and found Reiner and Bertolt sitting on the grass under a tree with a short blond woman with a protuberant nose.

“Heeey, it’s Barbie, Ken, and their lovechild Freckles!” Reiner said, laughing.

“Screw you.” Marco laughed and approached them.

Jean made a grumpy face and Armin had to contain his laugh. He didn't really mind Reiner’s nicknames that much anymore. It was just how the other expressed his affection.

“Need any help?” He stood up, taking Armin’s suitcase.

“Oh, i-it’s fine!” Armin quickly stated, trying to take it back.

“Wow, this is so light! I take half my home with me, so mine is always heavy.” Reiner changed the subject, still not giving the suitcase back.

They reached Jean and Armin’s room and Reiner waited for them to open the door. Armin was so glad they’d put the mattresses back on the bed before leaving for the holidays. There was no way they could explain why they were sleeping in mattresses so close to each other, on the floor.

“So, um... Armin, I have something for you, would you mind coming to my room?”

“Oh, not at all. But what is it?” He was so curious.

“Well, I ended up taking a while to finish your birthday present, so... I wanna give it to you.” He scratched his cheek, looking the other way.

“Oh, thank you Reiner! But you didn’t have to!” He felt guilty for putting the other boy though such trouble.

“No problem. I wanna give it to you!”

“Can I go to? I wanna see it.” Jean said, putting his own suitcase in the room as well.

“Um... Yeah, sure.” Reiner nodded in agreement.

The boys went to the taller one’s room and he took a small box from the desk, handing it over to Armin.

“Happy Late-As-Fuck Birthday!” He said, chuckling.

“Um... Thank you.” Armin smiled and opened the box.

There was an adorable little robot inside, with a big head and a small body. It had a tiny smile and big eyes to match. It also had blond hair and blue eyes just like Armin.

“Ohh, Reiner, this is so cute!”

“I’m glad you liked it.” He smiled. “And check this out.”

Reiner took the little robot, putting it on the desk and pressed a little button on it’s butt. He clapped his hand and the robot started shaking his tiny hips from one side to another.

“Oh my God, he’s dancing!!! Jean, look at him!!!” Armin was fascinated. “Where did you get it?”

“Well, I made it. Actually, Bert and I made it. Without him it would be _impossible_.”

“Ooown, thank you so much! He’s adorable! But you really didn't have to!” Armin gave him a hug, looking at the little robot dancing.

“How the fuck did you make it?” Jean suddenly said.

“Well, I had to learn something in college, right?” Reiner laughed despite Jean’s rudeness.

“What are you talking about? You’re majoring in P.E.!” Jean retorted instantly.

“...Says who?” Reiner raised one eyebrow, confused.

“S-Says... You!” Jean pointed at him.

“...Yeah, right... I’m in Mechanical Engineering, dude.”

“...Oh. Really?”

“Really.” Reiner laughed at him. “Oh, by the way, I know it’s early but have you guys decided where you’re going for Spring Break? We’re thinking about going to the beach in Trost.”

“T-The beach?” Armin turned to Reiner in a second.

“Yeah.” Reiner chucked. “You guys wanna come with us?”

“Yes!!!” He turned to Jean. “We can go, right???”

“...Fine.”

Jean hesitated and didn't sound much happy about it. Armin wondered if he’d said something wrong.

“Alright. We’re thinking about going there in two cars and renting two hotel rooms. So we’ll share the expenses.” Reiner explained.

“My parents have a beach house there. I’ll try asking them.” Jean said, his face turned to the side. He was still frowning.

“Are you serious? That’d be great, man. Thanks!” Reiner gave him a small smack on the back, smiling.

 

\---------------------------------

 

The following weeks went by fast. It was a cold night and the boys laid on their joined mattresses. Jean was looking so good that night, even more than usual. Armin pulled him closer by the collar of his shirt, making their bodies touch.

And he wanted to say it. He wanted to ask Jean to repeat what had happened in the brunet’s house weeks before and even though he understood his desires and knew there was nothing wrong with them, he _still_ couldn't say it. He opened his mouth two or three times after they broke the kiss, but nothing would come out. Not even a noise. It was so frustrating.

“Why are you so sad? Have I... Done something?”

“W-What?! No!!!” Armin quickly replied.

It didn't even cross his mind that Jean would think he was the cause for Armin’s frustrations.

“I’m angry... At myself. I... Want to ask you... But I can’t.”

“Ask me what?” Jean caresses his cheek. “Come on... Just give me a hint so I can understand you.”

“I... T-That...” He rolled his eyes in anger.

When he realized he wouldn't be able to say it, he got even closer, putting his right leg on top of Jean’s left. The brunet widened his eyes a bit, probably realizing — Or feeling — the other boy’s intentions.

“You wanna... Do that again?” He asked, whispering.

“...” Armin couldn’t reply either. He just lowered his head, feeling his face burn.

“Can I... Do something else? Something better?” Jean’s tone remained as low as possible.

Armin looked up, a little confused. He didn’t really know much about sex. He knew the basics of how to make a baby, but Jean had already taught him something else in his house, so Armin started to wonder what else there was to it. Specially considering they were both men and the “regular way” he read on the books wouldn't really be an option.

He nodded a little without looking the other in the eyes. He could see Jean’s smile from the corner of his eyes before the brunet completely covered them both with a blanket, lowering himself so his face would be at the same level as Armin’s thighs, where he laid soft kisses. 

Armin looked up, so nervous he was grabbing the sheets to the point his knuckles were losing their color.

 _What is he doing down there??? Okay, okay, calm down. He know what he is doing... Doesn't he? Wait, if he does, this means he is done this before. With who??? Marco’s straight. Who else does he know that is gay? Oh my God, he is touching you! He can_ see it _!!! Ew, tell him to stop!!! Tell him to-_

And then Armin got it. The jokes between Jean and Marco, the shirt in the _Animal Crossing_ game, everything made sense now. It wasn't a joke. It was something that people _actually_ did. Something _Jean_ actually did.

It was the weirdest and most amazing thing Armin had ever felt. That odd feeling started to take over his body again and when he returned to reality he was grabbing Jean’s hair like his life depended on it. He even felt sorry because when he released it, a few strands were glued to his sweaty hands.

“Um... I’m guessing, by my baldness, that you liked it?” Jean chuckled, with the back of his hand on his mouth.

“Y-Yes. T-Thank you.” Jean laughed so hard Armin got scared for a second. “W-What???”

“Don’t... Don’t say ‘Thank you’. It makes it all so... Weird.” He tried to stop laughing.

“I-I’m sorry, I don’t know what to say!!!” He blushed even harder.

“Don’t say anything.” Jean smiled softly and lowered himself to kiss Armin.

The blond turned his face away instantly.

“What are you doing???” Armin sat up, backing away from Jean, trying to straightening himself up.

“W-What??? I’m just kissing you!!!”

“Not with that mouth!!! Do you know where it’s been???” Armin got up, pulling the blanket away from the bed.

“Um, I have a pretty good idea. I’ve been sucking on it for a while and- _What the hell_ are you doing?”

“Where is it???” He was starting to get nervous from all the embarrassment.

“What is... What?” Jean rose one eyebrow, still sitting on the mattress.

“Y-You know what!!! T-That... Thing!!! That... Thing...” He didn't know what to call it. Even the scientific term sounded bad at the moment.

“Oh. I swallowed it.” Jean looked at him like everything was solved and perfectly fine.

“... Y-Yo-... You did _what_?” Armin was about to faint. He must have been going crazy.

“Swallowed it.” Jean repeated, now raising both eyebrows, like he was telling a dumb kid that two plus two is four.

“...EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWW!!! OH MY GOD, YOU’RE SO GROOOOOOSS!!! THAT’S DISGUSTING!!! WHAT’S THE MATTER WITH YOU??? WHO _DOES_ THAT???” Armin actually stepped away from the boy, with his hands on his head. He couldn’t even look at Jean right now.

“Lots of people do it!!! What’s the matter with _you_??? I just sucked your dick!!!”

“STOP SAYING IT!!!” Armin was about to have a mental breakdown.

“I won’t!!! You have to get used to it!!! To everything related to sex, alright? We’ll have sex one day and I want it to be fucking awesome from start to finish!!! I don’t want you making a fuss because ‘It’s gross’. You know what? Sex is gross. And it’s the best thing on earth.”

Jean’s words managed to calm Armin down a little.

“H-How... How can you do this? How can you... Do something like this and just act like it is not... Disgusting?”

“I... I just don’t mind it that much. At first it was weird but... It’s not anymore. And I... I like you, okay? I wanna make you feel good. So I don't really care as long as you like it.”

Armin was speechless. Jean loved him so much he didn't mind doing something like this for him. He’d clearly said he’d done it before, confirming Armin's previous theory, but it didn't matter at that point. Maybe he _was_ overreacting. When he started remembering the feeling from before he smiled involuntarily. It _did_ feel good. Much better than their previous experience. But Armin’s prudishness had made it uncomfortable for Jean once again. He wished he could just turn it off at moments like this.

“I...I’m sorry... I’m sorry I freaked. I... Just...”

“It’s fine. I know it’s a big change for you. And I know you’re trying. Just don’t say it’s gross... Even though it is.” He chuckled, getting up and giving Armin a hug.

“I... I liked it. Very much.” Armin gathered his strength and told Jean, hugging him as well.

“You _better_ like it, kid. I’m making an effort here.”

“Shut up.” Armin laughed, giving Jean a soft smack on the chest.

He looked up and met the brunet’s eyes waiting for him. The other approached to kiss him but the image of his previous actions still made Armin turn his face away.

“Oh, goddammit!!!” Jean let him go, putting his hands on his own waist.

“I’m sorry!!! I’m so sorry!!! I just can’t!!!”

Armin really felt sorry. He tried so hard to stay in place, but his head moved on it’s own. It was only after watching Jean brush his teeth and tongue — outside his mouth, so Armin could see it clearly — that the blond finally agreed to a kiss.

They got back under the blankets and kept each other warm as they fell asleep, holding hands.

 

\---------------------------------

 

About two months later, the group was reunited outside the dorms. They got divided into two groups: Reiner’s car and Bertolt’s car. Jean, Armin were on the back seat of Reiner’s car, while Marco was on the front seat, holding his phone. He was using a walkie-talkie app, so they could communicate with the car behind them.

In the other car, Ymir and Krista shared the back seat while Annie sat on the front seat, beside the tall boy. The boys could barely remember when they met her a second time, but Annie was the blond girl that sat with Bertolt and Reiner on the first day they were back at the dorms. Turns out, she was — Much to their surprise — Bertolt's girlfriend. The funniest part was the fact that Annie looked much more menacing than her boyfriend, despite being about fifteen inches shorter.

Both groups sang and even played games during the whole trip. Armin was distracted, playing cat’s cradle with Jean, while Ymir was talking.

“I spy something... Yellow.” She said.

“Krista’s hair!!!” He said, making a move with the strings, taking it to himself.

“Armin says it’s Kirsta’s hair.” Marco said, pressing the button on his phone.

“Bingo! Blondie number two gets a point!” She replied, chuckling.

“Hey, Reiner, stop the car.” Jean said, patting him on the shoulder.

“What? Why? What’s wrong?” Reiner looked at him in the rear view mirror.

“Just do it. And Marco, turn that thing off.” He said, taking a blindfold from his bag and putting it on Armin.

“J-Jean, what are you doing?” He got nervous.

“Just let me put it on and shut up. What do you hear?”

Armin closed his eyes, letting Jean put on the blindfold and paid attention to the sounds around him. There was Bertolt’s loud car noises and then silence. The only thing he could hear was a sound he’d only heard on his computer, in a video. The sound of the waves, crashing against the shore.

“I-It...It’s...” His voice came out weak while he held Jean’s hands firmly.

“Yeah, it is! Come on, let’s get out.” Jean got off the car and opened the door behind Armin, pulling him by the arm.

The blond blindly followed him, firmly holding his hand while they got to the stairs that lead to the beach. Jean sat Armin down, taking off his shoes before moving on. The smaller boy could feel a little sand on the steps before his feet touched the warm sand itself.

He stood there, moving his toes, appreciating that amazing feeling for one or two minutes before finally taking a step. Jean guided him and his excitement gradually rose as the sound was getting louder and louder. He could feel the tears gathering in his eyes.

“I’m taking the blindfold off, okay?” Jean whispered, so close to Armin’s ear that send a shiver down his spine.

The blond nodded, his heart beating so fast he thought he might die. He felt Jean taking off the cloth and opened his eyes.

At that moment he knew there was nothing more beautiful than that on the earth. He was sure of how much he loved the ocean. It was so amazing he didn't even realize he’d started crying until Jean brushed the tears out of his cheeks.

“I-I-...”

Armin tried to say something, but he didn't even know _what_ to say. He was so happy his mind had stopped working.

“Take your time. You don’t have to say anything.”

And he did. Armin took such a long time staring at the ocean he was starting to get tired. He took Jean’s hand and started walking towards the crashing waves. The brunet followed and Armin got in until the water as at the same level as his waist. He held one of Jean’s arms while holding his nose. Jean chuckled and Armin smiled back at him, diving and being pulled back up by the other.

Jean dived after he came back to the surface. Both laughed and dove once again, but this time, Armin pulled himself closer to Jean and gave him an underwater kiss. It was hard and his hand probably hit the brunet in the eye, but the other didn't seem to mind. He was still smiling like an idiot when they got back to the surface.

“Hey, let’s go, losers! It’s getting late!” Ymir shouted.

The whole group was standing on the beach, waiting for them to come out. Armin blushed slightly after seeing them and even more when he realized getting out was even harder than getting in.

He wasn't a great swimmer and trying to get out of the ocean while the waves pushed him was definitely a challenge. He held on to Jean’s arm — The brunet wasn't struggling at all — and they got out.

Reiner put the luggage on the back seat of his car and a bunch of towels on the trunk so Armin and Jean could seat on them. According to him, there was “no fucking way those idiots” would get into his car.

 

\---------------------------------

 

A few minutes later, they passed the house's gates — Where the poor guard was extremely confused by Jean waving at him from the trunk, still wet, to introduce himself — and reached the house on the top of a hill.

It was pretty big, with a nice living room, a joined large kitchen and a hallway that lead to a bathroom and a bedroom. There were glass doors that lead to the patio, where there was a pool and spiraled metal stairs that lead to the second floor.

There was also stairs on the inside, leading to the second floor, where there were another three rooms, including Jean’s parents suite.

“Holy shit. You’re fucking rich.” Reiner commented, as they got in.

“Um... You can put your stuff right here for now.” Jean said. “There are four bedrooms available, so I guess we should pick them after Armin and I take a shower?”

“Together?” Ymir said while she made herself at home, sitting on the couch with her feet on the center table, smirking at them.

“W-Wha-?” Jean blushed, staring at her.

“N-No! We-We-” Armin was blushing even harder, lowering his head.

“You two are pretty nervous for innocent people, y’know?”

“Ymir!” Krista gave her a slap on the arm.

“Okay, I’m done now.” She chuckled, making herself at home and turning on the big TV, with her feet on the center table.

Jean and Armin took their separate showers, but the blond’s mind kept drifting back to his boyfriend, downstairs and he imagined what would it be like if they were actually taking this shower together.

 

\---------------------------------

 

After the group had accommodated itself in the house it had been decided that Ymir and Krista would share the bedroom downstairs, while Annie, Bertolt and Reiner would stay in one of the bedrooms upstairs that had a single size and queen size bed. The other bedroom that had a king size bed that would be shared between Jean, Marco and Armin.

Reiner, Bertolt and Annie had left to buy groceries while the rest of the group stayed at the house. Jean and Marco were talking, outside, with their feet on the pool like a couple of old ladies doing pedicure.

After the trio returned and the groceries were stored, they had a few drinks, played some games in Jean’s Xbox360 and went to bed.

Armin was finishing brushing his teeth when he heard laughing coming from the bedroom. He got in to find Jean almost laying on top of Marco, while the freckled boy held him up, not letting him get any closer.

“Come oooooon, liiiiick it!” Jean said, laughing.

“No, get off me, you queer!” Marco laughed, trying to push him away. “I told you I’m allergic to your gay germs!!!”

“You dooooo, come oooon!” Jean tried to get closer again.

Armin just stood at the door, blushing. He didn't even want to know _what_ was going on or  _why_ it was happening. The only thing he cared about was _why on earth_ was this turning him on?

_What is wrong with you? Okay, fine, Marco is hot and Jean, well, Jean is Jean. But this makes no sense. If something was happening here, he would be cheating on you. So why do you like it? Do you hate yourself? Okay, don’t answer that. Why do you think this is hot? … Okay, think faster. Why? Why? Why? Seriously, WHY???_

“Armin? Armiiiiin?” Jean was close to him now, cleaning a bit of chocolate from his cheek. “Are you okay?”

“W-Wha-? I-I-...”

Jean’s eyes glimpsed down before turning back to Armin’s face and the blond blushed violently.

“I’m going to brush my teeth, don’t make out on my side of the bed, please.” Marco whispered the second part, leaving the room.

“We’ll try.” Jean pulled Armin closer to him and waited for Marco to leave before letting the other go and closing the door. “Now, what’s _that_ for?”

Jean chuckled, looking down again for a moment.

“I-I’m so sorry! I don’t know, I swear!” Armin wanted to die.

“A-About what??? That??? I’m just asking! I’m not judging you!” Jean looked surprised.

“I-I just saw you two and...I don’t know what’s wrong with me, I’m sorry!”

“Armin, calm down. It’s fine. There's nothing _wrong_ with you. You’re attracted to men, and... Well, Marco is a fine piece of ass.”

“Jean!!!”

“What??? He’s my friend, I’d never have romantic feelings for him, but that doesn't make me  _blind_. He’s hot as fuck and his chest is soft like a pillow.” He shrugged.

“Really?!” Armin was surprised to know that. He didn't even remember seeing Marco without a shirt.

“Hey! Show a little less interest.” Jean poked him on the side of his body. “My point is, even though we’re not doing anything, your imagination isn't dead, neither is your body. Relax.”

“H-How can I? How can I even face him now, Jean?”

“Ugh...” Jean sat on the bed, pulling Armin to sit beside him. “Look, I’m gonna tell you something but you can’t ever tell anyone. You hear?”

“Okay...”

“When I was.... When I was about fifteen I was a little... Um... Bold and... Horny.”

“WHAT???”

“Shush. Hear me out. I was like this all the time. And I had this huuuuuge crush on Erwin.”

“Yes, you told me that.”

“Will you shut the fuck up and let me tell the story?” Armin pouted, but let him continue. “Thank you. Now, where was I? I... Um... I once decided I would seduce him... So I...” Jean was blushing hard and he was looking down as he spoke. “So I had the amazing idea of... Cornering him inside the butler’s pantry and...”

Armin’s jaw was nearly touching the floor at this point, trying to imagine what was coming next.

“...Take off my clothes.” He continued.

“OH MY GOD!!!” Armin covered his mouth with both hands, shocked.

“I-I know!!! God, this is so embarrassing.” Jean was hiding his face on his hands. “He was so shocked he just pressed the button on the intercom and looked up, raising his hands so no one would assume he was doing something to me! It was a mess. My mother nearly ripped off my head and my father apologized to Erwin for a week!!!”

“Oh my God, you’re so creepy!” Armin was laughing so much his stomach hurt.

“My point is: If I can face Erwin everyday after that, you can face Marco.”

“I sure can! I could probably take off his pants and it would still be less embarrassing than this story!!!”

“You- You are a horrible boyfriend. You’re like... The worst boyfriend. Ever.”

“Who cares? You tried to seduce your butler!” Armin laid on the bed, trying to make himself stop laughing.

“Hey, I was a stupid, horny kid!!!” Jean jumped on top of him, giving him soft punches. Armin defended a few, holding Jean’s fists in his hands. They stared at each other for a few seconds before Jean lowered himself, giving Armin a kiss. The blond held his face softly, pulling him closer in order to deepen it.

When he was getting lost in Jean’s mouth there was a knock on the door that made him jump and move away. Jean kissed him again and got up, opening the door to let Marco in. The boys got ready to sleep and Jean turned off the lights, laying between Armin and Marco. 

The blond felt a little shy about sleeping with Jean holding him while their friend was right there, but Marco didn't seem to care at all. His back was turned to the couple and he barely moved. 

After a few minutes, Jean pulled the covers up to their heads, kissing the blond. Since Armin was nearly asleep he was a little surprised by it, but Jean wasn't the kind of guy that waits for a response to go on, so he just grabbed the blond's waist, pulling him closer and deepening the kiss. 

The brunet got up, taking one of the pillows from the bed and pulled Armin outside, to the balcony. The brunet put the pillow on the floor, laid there and pulling the other down.

“Come here. No one can see us.” He said, indicating the closed drapes inside the room. On the other side there was just trees and the pool beneath them.

Armin smiled and laid on top of Jean, his head resting on the brunet’s chest. He felt Jean caressing his head while he stared at the moon shining on the ocean’s surface.

 

\---------------------------------

 

Armin woke up hours later, freezing. He felt drops falling on his face and hands and quickly got up.

“Jean, it’s raining, wake up!” He shook the boy that slept under him.

“Wha-?” Jean rubbed his eyes “Whoa, it’s raining! And fuck, it’s cold!!!”

“Of course it is, you’re in your underwear! Let’s go!” Armin stated, pulling him by the hand.

Marco opened the door at the very moment the boys got up.

“Guys, get in! And Jean, put some clothes on for fuck’s sake.” Marco took his shirt off, handing it to Jean, taking a new one for himself. “Here. This one’s warm. I honestly don’t know how you kept sleeping in this cold.”

“I know, right? He would have frozen out there, honestly.” Armin said, closing the glass doors and the drapes.

“Blablabla, stop whining, you two.” Jean crawled under the blankets, covering himself.

Since Armin knew he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, he just sat on the bed, beside Jean and chatted with Marco until the rest of the group woke up. They all decided to go get breakfast in a cafeteria before planning out what to do on that unplanned cold day. They ended up meeting another group and were invited to a party, that night. 

  
\---------------------------------

 

When night came, everyone was ready and waiting for Jean and Krista. Armin couldn't help to notice how short and tight Ymir's black dress was. It was something he'd never see in his hometown but he had to admit she looked gorgeous. Krista got out wearing a white dress with a delicate flower pattern and a pink waist belt that matched her bow. She looked lovely. 

The boys looked good too, but when Jean came downstairs the memories of them were erased from Armin's mind. His boyfriend was something else. In Armin's opinion, he looked even better in jeans and a black leather jacket than he did in a suit. It matched Jean's insane hair that wouldn't go down, so it always looked messy.

The group left and Armin wouldn't let go of Jean's arm as they entered the club. It was a completely new environment for him with all those people dancing, drinking and making out in front of everyone. They sat at the bar and Jean had two or three drinks while Armin was still on his first. Reiner, Bertolt and Ymir were on the dance floor like they owned the place, but Marco, Jean, Annie and Krista were still sitting on the bar. 

Marco asked them if they wanted to dance, but Annie quickly refused and so did Krista. Jean looked at Armin before doing the same, which made the blond feel a little guilty. 

“Go on. I'm fine over here.” He said, smiling.

“Are you sure?" Jean asked.

“Yes, yes. I have Krista and Annie. Apparently blond people don't dance.” He laughed.

“Thanks." Jean chuckled, leaving with Marco. 

After a few minutes, Krista held Armin's hand, a little pale.

“Are you okay?” Annie asked, with an almost imperceptible worried tone to her voice.

“Yeah, I just need some air. It's kinda hot in here. Would you come with me, Armin?” She replied, smiling at Annie and turning to the blond boy beside her.

“Yes, of course.” He held her hand firmly, helping her get down from the stool and left. “Would you tell the others we're outside?"

Annie nodded, shaking her hand so they'd leave. Even though he asked Annie, on his way out Armin waved at Jean, telling him he'd leave for a second. The brunet nodded, making the "OK" sign and continuing to dance. 

The couple left the club and realized the streets were nearly deserted. Krista took a deep breath, loosening up her waist belt a little.

“This thing is killing me.” She chuckled.

“Well, at least you look really great with it.” He did the same, leaning against the wall. 

“I know, right? This is adorable, but I can't breath with it!” She laughed. “Thank you for coming out here with me. I'm feeling much better already.”

“No problem.” He smiled. 

“HEY, BLONDIE!!! Get this cute ass over here, babe!!!” Some drunken guy from the other side of the street shouted at them. 

Krista held Armin's hand entwined their fingers, squeezing them. He knew what it was like to harassed on the street, specially in cold days like that one, when he wore coats and people couldn't really tell if he was a boy or a girl dressed in boyish clothes.

The guy crossed the street with a few friends and the couple decided to get into the club again, but one of the guys friends was blocking their way. 

“Heeey, where are you going, ladies?” The one that stood in front of them asked, smiling.

Armin saw a bar, probably where the men had come from, far away and decided to head there with Krista. He pulled her by the hand, walking as fast as possible. 

“Hey, are you deaf? Or do you two hate dicks so much? We can make you like them, if you want!” The first guy laughed and his friends did the same.

The blond could feel Krista's hand squeezing his at that moment, so he tried to walk even faster, but it was hard for her to follow in heels. 

“Come ooon, where are you going, girls? Why are you running away from us? Are you scared?” The guy shouted and once again was backed up by a chorus of laughter from his friends. 

Armin and Krista were nearly running by his point. The bar was much farther than it seemed and Armin was starting to get nervous.

“Hey! I’m talking to you two, cunts!!!”

The man was suddenly serious and the couple could hear steps getting closer at an alarming speed behind them.

It all happened in a second. Krista looked back and Armin did the same, just to see a pipe coming straight to his head. Then, he blacked out hearing the sound of Krista's voice screaming his name as he fell.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Um... I suggest reading [Jean's POV](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1554011/chapters/3842866) first. But, again, it's merely a suggestion. (This chapter won't make much sense anyway. I'm sorry.)
> 
> Thank you very much for reading. I hope you continue to enjoy and support this series. *Bows*

 

…

 

…

 

Armin was at a room that resembled his own. But there was no poster on the right wall and he could see a few white bars around him. His mother was standing by the side of his crib, talking to someone.

“Father, please, I can’t take it anymore!!! You’re driving me insane!!!”

“What about you, young lady??? You dare to give yourself to that man and now he is leaving! Serves you right! Maybe this way you will learn to behave yourself, like a proper lady should!” His grandfather replied.

“He’s my boyfriend, father! I love him! And he’s leaving only because you’re accusing him of raping me!”

“Because that is exactly what he did! He put stupid ideas on your head and manipulated you to spread your legs to him like a whore!”

“D-Did you just call me a whore? For sleeping with my _boyfriend_?”

“Before marriage!!!”

“He _was_ going to marry me, but you almost got him lynched!!!” She protested.

“There was no way I would let that degenerate marry you. Much less after putting a child in you.”

“FATHER!!! HE DIDN’T-!!!”

Armin felt so sad and anxious he started crying.

“See? Your child is crying. You can not take care of a baby, you are just a child yourself.” His grandfather left the room while his mother raised him from the crib, giving him a hug.

“Shhh, I’m sorry, baby. I’m so sorry... Please don’t cry.” She said, caressing Armin’s head.

“Emily...” Armin heard a male voice coming from behind him.

“Leon! W-What are you doing here?” His mother got closer to the voice.

“I had to see him. I had to see _you_.” The man approached, giving his mother a kiss. “Can I hold him?”

His mother nodded, giving Armin to his father, who turned him around to see him. But his father's own face was blurry. 

“Hey big guy. You're so cute. Look at you, with those big blue eyes. You look like your mom!” Armin didn’t know what his father looked like, but he recognized his smile. “Emily, I love you so much, please come with me. I’m leaving town and we could go together.”

Leon said, putting Armin against his chest, hugging him.

“I can’t... Where would we go? I have a baby!”

“ _We_ have a baby. We’ll figure it out, we’ll go somewhere and...”

“And _what_ , Leon? We’re young, we didn’t even go to college. What are we supposed to do? We’ll never find proper jobs, and he needs a home!”

“So you’ll just stay here? You’ll stay in this house being treated like crap for the rest of your life? Please, honey, let’s go.”

“And what do we do with him? Huh? Leave him with my father?” She touched Armin’s head. “I can’t...”

“What if we come back?” Leon asked.

“What do you mean?” His mother asked.

“We leave him here, just for a while. Your father won’t hurt him. He’ll take care of him, and you know it. Specially if you’re gone. You’re a genius, you can get a full scholarship if you want to. You can get a part-time job and I’ll work as many jobs as I need to provide for the two of us and then we’ll come back for him when we have a stable life.”

“What? Are you insane? This is a terrible idea! You’re counting on luck. I can’t leave my baby’s fate to luck.” She tried to speak as lowly as possible, but she was getting nervous.

“If everything goes wrong he’s still going to live here, with your father, like he would if you didn't go anywhere! But if things work out you can live your dream and we can have our baby together.”

“But he’ll grow up without a mother!”

“But he’ll have both parents later! And you can come back if things don’t work out!!!”

“He’ll never forgive me... Even if I come back, he’ll treat me horribly...”

“He’s _already_ treating you horribly. Nothing you can do will ever be worse than having sex before marriage. Specially when you got pregnant after it. _Specially_ being pregnant with _my_ child.”

“I’ll... I’ll think about it.” Emily said, taking Armin from Leon’s arms, giving the baby a kiss. “Now please go. If he find you here he’ll get you killed.”

“I’m going. But I’ll be back to get you, okay? I promise. Everything will work out. I love you.” Leon gave her another kiss.

“I love you too.”

 

The picture changes to his mother and father, crying desperately over his crib, promising to come back, before getting out of Armin's sight. 

 

…

 

…

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel horrible about making Armin's grandfather an ignorant asshole. For the little we've seen of him on the show he seems so kind. Argh...


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Levi accidentally shows Armin a new perspective.

The next thing Armin saw was a ceiling on top of his head. He looked to his side and there was someone sitting on a chair, holding his hand. He gave it a little squeeze, but the person was still looking at a device he held with the other hand.

He knew this person. He felt comfortable around him. He felt happy that this person was there, talking to him. He tried so hard to remember his name.

“...some whales today? I found a really cool video for you. Check this out.” He said.

Whales. He remembered whales. He liked them. The whale sounds started coming out of the device on the other boy’s hand and they made Armin smile.

“...Cute...” He said even though it was hard to speak.

The boy looked at him, widening his eyes. Jean. That was his name.

“Fuck...! Holy...! Fuck! Shit! Fuck!” Jean let go of his hand and got up. “Armin? Armin did you just-... Armin, did you talk? Y-You said they were cute, didn’t you?”

He smiled because he understood the question and knew the answer.

“Yes.”

“Oh my God... Holy crap... NURSE!!!” The boy ran to the door and shouted, getting back to the bed. “Armin, oh my God, Armin... Are you okay???”

He also remembered how he felt about Jean.

“...Ove...” The blond smiled, holding the handsome boy’s hand.

“O-Oh my God. I-I love you too, baby. I love you so much.”

  
\---------------------------------

  


After a while, the room’s door opened and the man from his dreams showed up. Armin knew he was his grandfather, but the only memory he had of him was the fear and anxiety he’d felt on the dream.

Those feelings came rushing back and Armin could hear the devices near his bed incessantly beeping. He squeezed Jean’s hand, trying to express his feelings, but the other couldn’t understand.

“Armin, calm down. What's wrong? That's your grandfather.” He held Armin’s hand, looking into his eyes.

“No.” He replied, trying to explain. Trying to say he didn’t want him there.

“It's okay, calm down.”

“This is a really unusual reaction. Armin, did that man do something to you?” The doctor asked.

“No.” Armin was starting to get frustrated. He knew his feelings, but didn’t know how to express them.

“He should stay away from him for a while. I think you should leave as well, so we can make a few tests.” The doctor told Jean.

“O-Okay.” The boy agreed and left after Armin started to calm down.

  
\---------------------------------

  


The days passed and things were slowly getting easier. The doctors had made a few tests, made him use a few objects and most times Armin could use all of them, even though it took him a while to use spoons.

After he did, he would get out of his room, in a wheelchair. Jean would always push him and chat, even when Armin didn’t quite understand what he was saying.

Jean. It was nice remembering him too. There were times when he would take Armin to a hidden spot and hold and kiss his hands. Armin smiled, feeling amazing every time he did it. Something about his touches made the blond feel loved and special. Maybe it was the way Jean looked at him. Or maybe Armin loved him so much that anything he did seemed perfect.

  
\---------------------------------

 

It was around May when the doctor came to his room to explain about his knee. He still had a hard time to locate himself in time and remembering a few names, but Jean always made sure to help him.

“Hello, boys.” The man entered the room, carrying a knee brace and crutches.

“Oh, look, it’s Doc Dok!” Jean made sure to repeat the stupid joke regarding the doctor’s name “Nile Dok” and his profession. Jean made horrible jokes like this all the time.

“...Armin, I wish you all the luck in the world if you’re going to put up with this guy after you leave.” The doctor replied, looking at the blond.

“I know, he’s a dork. Please ignore him.” Armin chuckled and felt Jean pinch his leg.

“So, are you feeling okay? You look much better than last time.” The doctor asked.

“Yes, I’m fine. I still have a hard time remembering some dates and names, but I’m fine.” He assured the man.

“That’s very good to hear. I’m sure you’ll completely recover in no time. Well, I’m gonna put the knee brace on you now, okay?” Nile put it on, adjusting it on Armin’s leg. “Great. Now, I brought you some crutches too, but you’ll only be using them for a while, so don’t worry. You’ll be fine soon. It's just to make sure there's no pressure on your knee for now. Like I said on our last meet, I’ll be putting on the knee brace because you felt a slight discomfort. So we’ll put it on, continue with the physical therapy to strengthen your muscles and we’ll try taking it off as soon as possible, okay?”

“Okay.” Armin replied, looking at the brace. It didn’t look as weird as he expected.

“Well, that’s pretty much it. I can’t continue the treatment because you’ll be going home, but here’s Dr. Jinn's number. He’ll go straight to your home and handle your physical therapy. I've already contacted him and gave all the information about your situation, okay?” The doctor handed over a small card.

“Yes, thank you doctor. For everything.” Armin said reading the second doctor’s information.

“No problem.” Nile got up. “It was a pleasure, and I hope you'll recover soon. Good luck.”

“Thank you very much.” Jean said, giving the doctor a handshake.

“You’re welcome.” He smiled and left.

  
\---------------------------------

 

As they were leaving the hospital, Armin saw his grandfather waiting for him and felt his heart speed up again. That weird feeling kept coming back, even though he remembered the man perfectly, the good times they spent together and everything else.

That dream continued to bother him and make him anxious. But he didn't understand what it was. He thought it was probably just a stupid dream. There was no way he could remember something from such an early moment of his life.

Even so, that little question “What if it wasn't just a dream?” continued to come back to his mind. Continued to make his heart ache, just to think about it. Just to think that it was his grandfather’s fault that he didn't have a mother or father to raise him.

He shook those feelings away and smiled at his grandfather, allowing the man to approach him. He returned the hug he was given and whispered an “I’m sorry”. Even if it wasn't a dream, Armin had treated him awfully and felt guilty for it. He never gave the man a chance to explain himself. He would do it the next time they met, when he would be fully healed and ready to deal with it.

For now, he was heading to Jean’s house. He was told the brunet had stopped out of college to help him so both boys would only go back to college in the fall semester. He also learned that Edmund called his grandfather and insisted on paying for the whole treatment. He felt a little guilty, but also relieved. His grandfather could never afford such an expensive treatment.

Armin could see his grandfather was hesitating about letting him go, and he couldn't blame him. By now he remembered how the man felt about Jean. And he _knew_ his grandfather was blaming his boyfriend for what had happened, even though he wouldn't say a word.

The blond got into the car with Levi’s help and as they were leaving the hospital he took a final look at his grandfather, shyly waving at him. The blond sighed, thinking about him, the dream, his mother... Until Jean held his hand, entwining their fingers.

“Everything will be okay. Don’t worry.” He said and Armin, once again, managed to calm himself down.

Jean had the power to make him feel safe and it was so effective it almost felt like magic.

  
\---------------------------------

 

When Armin got to Jean’s house his boyfriend was acting like a bodyguard. He helped Armin get out of the car and ran to the door to hold down the dog. Levi rolled his eyes as he took the suitcases out of the trunk and put them on the floor. Armin had to chuckle at that.

“Good luck banging _that_ for the rest of your life, brat.” Levi said as he walked away, pulling a cigarette from his pocket and lightening it up.

Armin blushed violently at that statement and the fact that Levi knew about them was the least of his problems. He took a deep breath and got into the house.

He saw Beast jumping around, excited, barking at him and realized how much he missed this silly dog. Specially when he asked Jean to let it go and it came running, jumping on Armin. The boy used the wall to support himself as he petted Beast, playing with him for a while.

The boys spent the rest of the day together and Armin had to admit he liked being a little spoiled. Jean was a sweetheart and for hours the blond continued to think about what Levi had said.

Until that moment Armin had never thought about spending the rest of his life with Jean. He thought about living with Jean at some point, he thought about being with him for a while, but he’d never pictured them as an old couple, still living together. _Married_.

It was a little scary for him to think about _marrying a man_. Every time he did, he remembered his grandfather and the dream he had. He imagined having to tell his only family he would marry another man and end up being treated like his mother supposedly was.

He made sure to erase this thoughts when they came. He still didn't know if it was a dream or a memory and this was a matter for the next time he visited his grandfather. Right now, he needed to focus on his recovery.

  
\---------------------------------

 

At night, Jean had allowed him to watch a few documentaries on _Animal Planet_. He missed those so much and watching them while cuddling with his boyfriend was the best feeling on earth.

When there was a break for the commercials, Jean sat on the bed, holding Armin’s hands. The blond used the other as a support and rose himself, sitting.

“What is it?” Armin asked.

“I... I just can’t believe you’re here with me.” Jean kissed his hands after whispering.

“You keep doing this.” Armin chuckled. “You didn't do it before, did you?”

He wasn't sure. He couldn't remember, but maybe it was juts something else he’d forgotten.

“No.” The brunet laughed. “I just... You seemed so happy every time I did this.”

“I like it.”

“Actually I came up with this because... I couldn't do what I really wanted. Not until you were fine. Not until you were fully healed and back to me.”

“And what is it that you wanted to do to me, sir?” The blond asked jokingly, imagining Jean would make one of his indecent jokes.

“This.”

Suddenly, Jean pulled the blond’s waist closer and grabbed the hair on the back of his head, pulling it down. The firm pull made Armin open his mouth and before he could even say anything Jean’s tongue was invading it, touching every corner, making Armin forget about the whole world around them.

When Jean finally let him go, the blond realized his whole body was so loose he probably looked like a rag doll. All of his muscles seemed to have shut down during that kiss, along with his brain. The only thing working much more than usual was his heart.

“W-Wow...” Armin whispered, involuntarily.

Jean chuckled and laid him on the bed, kissing his lips and neck.

“I missed you so much. I was so scared...” He said, whispering in the blond’s ear. “I thought you’d never come back to me.”

“I’m here now. I won’t leave you.”

Armin caressed his head and kissed his cheek, trying to ease the brunet’s mind. He knew he had to stay with Jean forever. Levi’s words had come as a wake-up call. He loved Jean and he didn't want to leave him. Ever. He wanted to stay with him forever.

But to do that he needed to let people know. He didn't want to spent the rest of his life hiding his feelings from the world. He had to tell the truth. He thought about starting with his friends. With people who would be fine with it. His grandfather would come next.

“And... I’m ready to... Tell everyone. About us.” He continued.

“R-Really?!” Jean rose, supporting himself on his arms.

“Y-Yes, I’ll... I’ll tell everyone and-... When I go back to my hometown I’ll tell my grandfather too.”

“W-Wow. That’s great!” Jean gave him his biggest smile.

“Yes, yes it is.” He gave Jean a kiss even though he was still scared about his decision.

“Don’t worry. It’ll be okay.” Jean smiled kindly. “I’ll always be there for you.”

“I know... I love you.” He knew it was the truth. Jean was brave and Armin felt like he could face anything if he had the brunet by his side.

“I love you too.” The taller one replied, laying next to him so they could continue to watch the documentaries.

Armin made sure to get even closer to him, holding his hand. He smiled when he pictured that same image set in their own house, wearing matching wedding rings.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which another couple is formed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Should I put Trigger Warnings for coma jokes? Well... You've been warned, even though I don't believe it's a bad thing in this case.

It was June 12th . Armin was walking to Marco’s house to wait for the group to finally reunite. Since Marco’s birthday would be on Tuesday, he decided to have the party on the Saturday the 13th . The group would make the trip after classes on Friday but Jean had insisted they went to Marco’s house first to wait for them.

Armin was no longer using crutches but it was still uncomfortable to walk with the knee brace. He had to stop one or two times on the way to adjust it and rest a little. Jean would patiently wait for him and help him get up and sit on the curb.

“Geez, I forgot how heavy you were.” Jean said.

“Shut up, you have a gym at your house. You work out enough to lift me up.” Armin pouted.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Jean chuckled, holding his hand and starting to walk again.

It was weird to hold Jean’s hand in public. Armin would keep himself focused so his eyes wouldn’t wander around looking at the houses around them. Every window they saw felt like a camera that would send the image straight to his grandfather’s TV.

 _You have to get used to this. Calm down, he’ll never find out from this. Even if someone sees it, your grandfather lives in a small town far away. There’s no way he would know about it. And if you plan on telling him someday you_ have _to get used to it._

By the time he calmed himself down they’d arrived at Marco’s place. It was just as big as Jean’s but the design was completely different. While Jean’s house had a classical look, Marco’s was modern, white, with a big ramp leading to the underground garage.

Jean got closer to the white, detailed gates and pressed the intercom. A voice came from it a few seconds later.

“Yes?”

“Hey, Mr. Bott.” Jean said and it was all it took to make the gates open.

After a few minutes they arrived at the house and Jean opened the big glass doors and got in like it was his own house, just like he did at Marco’s room at the dorms.

A man with dark eyes and hair, stubble and broad shoulders read his paper, sitting on an armchair. He didn’t even turn to greet him.

“Hello, Jean. What are you doing here so early?”

“Hey, Mr. Bott. I came here to see your loser of a son but I guess he’s not home yet.”

“Nope. He’ll be here at three or four. I’m not sure.”

“Okay. Can we wait him in his room?”

“We?” The man finally put his paper down and turned to look at Jean. “Oh, hello there.”

He got up, walking to Armin, extending his hand.

“Oh! H-Hello, sir! Good afternoon. I’m Armin Arlert!” He did the same and received a strong handshake in return.

“He's so polite!” He said to Jean. “Nice to meet you Armin. Are you a friend of Jean’s?” The man smiled.

“I’m...” The blond took a deep breath, looking down for a second before raising his head and looking Marco’s father right in the eyes. “I’m his boyfriend!”

The man seemed a little surprised at first.

“Oh... I see.” His eyes glanced at Jean for a moment before letting go of Armin’s hand and smiling. “Well, make yourselves at home.”

“T-Thank you, sir.”

Armin was pulled by the hand to Marco’s room and he felt proud of himself. He’d done it. He told someone he was Jean’s boyfriend, just like that. And there was no big shock, no ugly looks, nothing. It was a normal reaction.

He got so excited he didn’t even realize they had arrived in Marco’s room. Jean got in and sat on the bed, taking off his shoes before laying on it, turning on the TV.

“C’mere.” Jean pulled him by the wrist and Armin took off his shoes before laying by his side.

“Are you sure he won’t mind we laying on his bed?” Armin asked, a little uncomfortable.

“Don’t worry. Just pretend it’s my room.” He chuckled, giving Armin a kiss.

But it was not. There was no way it could be. Just like the rest of his house, Marco’s room was white and black, with nothing on the walls and everything was in it’s place. It was like the opposite of Jean’s room which had that pretty yellow color, a bunch of things on the wall and, well... Was a mess. The only moments Jean’s room was not a complete mess was when the maid cleaned. Even so, a day later it was like she never came. _That_ he could learn from Marco. Armin was fine with everything else.

  
\---------------------------------

 

A few hours later the intercom rang and Marco’s familiar voice called them.

“Hey, losers. We’re home.”

“We’ll be right there.” Jean said as he pushed the button to reply. “Let’s go.”

“L-Let’s go.” Armin got up, taking a deep breath.

“Don’t force yourself to do anything. Take your time. I can wait.” Jean smiled, giving him a kiss before they left the room.

As the boys entered the living room, the whole group turned and cheered for Armin, clapping. The boy felt embarrassed, but happy. No one had ever made fun of him in a good way, he was just bullied all the time. But this group was the opposite. They could turn a bad situation in something nice, something worth celebrating.

Krista was the first one to run up to them, hugging Armin. She still had a small bruise and a cut on the corner of her mouth, which were almost hidden by the make up she wore.

“Oh, Armin, I’m so sorry! You helped me and I just let you get beaten!” She said, nearly crying.

“Krista, relax!” He hugged her. “I don’t care, I never expected you to help me. Those guys were big and I didn’t want you to get hurt!”

“B-But I-...!” She let go, looking him in the eyes.

“Relax, it’s fine. _I’m_ fine. I’m sorry you got hit. Are you okay?”

“Y-Yeah. I’m fine. I’m...”

“Heeeeey, what’s with the awful mood? Dude just came back from the dead. Fuck, you guys suck!” Ymir said, delicately pulling Krista away and hugging Armin for a second before letting go and patting him on the back. “Welcome back, loser.”

“Huh... Thank you.” Armin chuckled, feeling specially awkward about the hug. Unlike her girlfriend, Ymir wasn’t one to usually touch people.

“Hey, you okay, man?” Reiner approached.

“Yes, yes, I’m fine. Thank you, Reiner.” Armin smiled.

“Hi. I hope you’re feeling better.” Bertolt said, his voice lower than usual. It was funny for Armin to see a guy at least six inches taller than him being shy and handing him a small bouquet.

“...You brought me flowers?” Armin rose one eyebrow, confused.

“I-I-I-...!” Bertolt’s face turned completely red in a second.

“Told you I’d be weird.” Annie came out from behind her boyfriend, giving Armin a tap on the shoulder. “Congratulations on surviving. Please take the flowers or he’ll be uncomfortable for the rest of his life.”

“Hum... Thank you, Annie. And thank you, Bertolt! It was really sweet of you! I loved them.” Armin smiled, putting his hand on the tall boy’s arm and giving it a little squeeze.

“Huh... G-Good. T-Thank you, huh, you’re welcome.” Bertolt smiled shyly and scratched his own nape.

“Oh, so you gave him the flowers.” Marco got closer, hugging Armin. “Good to see you’re okay, man. Get that knee of yours fixed already! That thing is ugly as fuck.”

“I am _trying_!” Armin chuckled, pushing him away. “Thanks, everyone. You’re amazing friends. And... Since we’re here I... I would like to say something. To everyone.”

“Oh, okay, we can sit on the couch.” Marco said, walking to the lower part of the living room to sit down.

Everyone followed and found their places while Armin sat on the armchair previously occupied by Marco’s father. Jean sat on the chair’s arm and put his hands on the pockets of his hoodie.

“I... I would just like to say...” Armin was scared, his heart was beating incredibly fast and his grip on the bouquet got tighter. “Actually... Ymir was right. I... J-Jean... Jean and I... W-We’re dating.”

Everyone stared at Armin, until Ymir _shouted_ , getting up from the couch.

“I KNEW IT!!! I TOLD YOU ASSHOLES THEY WERE FUCKING!!! I TOLD YOU!!! HAAA!!!” She ran up to Armin, hugging him and getting back to everyone. “Pay up. Pay up.”

“What? The bet is off!!!” Reiner complained.

“Why the fuck would the bet be off?” She asked, her hand still waiting for the money.

“The guy was in a coma.” Reiner stated.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Armin, were you two hooking up before you took a trip to the underworld?” She turned back at him.

“W-Wha-I-What? I-We-Y-Yes. And I wasn’t dead!” He was so confused.

“No, actually you were. For a while, when they were fixing you head. You kinda died once.” Jean shyly stated.

“WHAT???” Armin turned, even more shocked.

“You know that this means? Oh yeah... PAY UP!” Ymir said, doing a little dance.

“Fuck you.” Reiner said and payed, followed by Bertolt and Krista.

“It was a pleasure doing business with you.” Ymir said as she counted the notes, putting them inside her bra.

“Um... Can we please change the subject?” Marco asked, chuckling.

“Sure, let’s go eat something. This house gotta have some food, right?” She asked, already heading to the kitchen.

Marco rolled his eyes, smiling, and followed her. Armin realized, then, that he had told them. He told everyone. And once again, everything was fine. No one said anything, everyone acted like he’d just told them he liked dogs or something as simple as that. He smiled, feeling his eyes fill with water. Jean lowered himself, turning Armin’s face to him.

“You were really brave.” He whispered.

“You were the one who taught me to be.” Armin smiled and kissed Jean, rubbing his thumb against the boy’s cheek.

  
\---------------------------------

 

The group spent the night at Marco’s place, while Jean and Armin got back to the Kirstein house. They spent their time together and Armin even got the chance to get into the amazing hot tub they had on the basement. The whole room looked like a cave with the tub in the middle and a TV. Armin could have spent the rest of the night in there easily.

When Saturday came both boys left with Mina and Sasha. Mina wore a simple dress, but she looked gorgeous and Marco made sure to mention it when they arrived.

“Wow! Hey, sweetheart. You look amazing.” He smiled at her.

“Thank you!” She smiled, giving him a small package. “Happy birthday.”

“Thanks! But you know I don’t need it, right? You can be my present.” He chuckled, pulling her by the waist to kiss her.

“Hmm... Maaaybe.” She laughed. “Now let me go, you’ll wrinkle my dress and screw up my make up.”

“Sorry.” He let her go, still smiling like an idiot. “Hey, Jean.”

“Are you done being straight?” Jean asked.

“Meh. For now.” He replied, shrugging.

“Good. Now take it.” He replied, handing Marco his present. “It’s from me and Armin because, you know, he’s been a little busy playing Sleeping Beauty.”

“Jean!” Armin protested.

“Thanks, guys. Come on, get in.” He pulled them in as he greeted Sasha.

The party was being held in the second living room — That was now empty, with only a globe and some lights to create the night club mood — and outside, where there was a big pool, even bigger than Jean’s. It even had a small cascade coming out of some rocks.

Suddenly, a short, bald guy greeted them.

“Hey! You’re that guy, aren’t you?” He asked Jean.

“Oh, hi! You were the one who asked for help in Trost, aren’t you? Thank you so much. You have no idea how grateful I am.” Jean held the guy’s hand, giving him a quick hug.

“No problem, man.” The shorter boy said, looking at Armin.

“Oh yeah, this is Armin Arlert. Armin, you should thank this guy. He indirectly saved your life. He called us to go help you.”

“Really? Wow, thank you!” Armin was surprised to learn that, even though he’d wondered how Jean had found out about him. He just assumed he and Krista were gone long enough to make Jean go after them.

“...No problem.” The boy still looked at him, confused. “Um, anyway, I’m Connie Springer.”

“Nice to meet you, Connie!” Armin said with a smile.

He smiled and extended his hand, but Connie was no longer looking at him. When the blond turned around, following the other boy’s gaze he realized it was directed at Sasha. The girl was talking to Mina and Marco, playing with the details of her shorts.

“Wow...” Connie said involuntarily. “W-Who... Who is that girl?”

“Who? The one with the shorts and the ponytail? That’s Sasha.” Jean replied.

“S-She’s gorgeous. S-She’s... Perfect.”

“...Is she?” Jean actually looked at her, trying to understand what Connie was seeing.

Armin knew Sasha was really pretty, but he didn’t think she was as “perfect” as Connie alleged.

“Would you like me to introduce you to her?” Armin asked, holding his laugh.

“W-Would you??? Really? Hang on!” He ran to one of the glass doors, checking out the state of his clothes, teeth and breath before returning to their side. “O-Okay, let’s go.”

Armin chuckled, pulling him by the arm to Sasha’s side. Marco had just left to greet someone else who’d just arrived and took Mina with him. It was the perfect chance.

“Hey, Sasha.” Armin said. “Have you met Connie? He saved my life.” He thought little drama would help in this situation.

“Really? Wow, that’s awesome! Thanks, this guy is great. He eats everything. He’s not picky like some spoiled rich brats I know.” She put her arm around Armin and looked around. “Oh, wait, Jean’s not here? Then forget it. It’s not fun to make fun of him behind his back.”

She let go of the blond and he realized Connie was just standing there, like an idiot, staring at her like she was the world’s most perfect creature. Armin gave him a little poke and it was like a button to wake the boy up from his trance.

“D-did it hurt when you fell from heaven? ‘Cause you’re an angel!!!” He said it quite loud, but lucky for him no one could hear it over the music.

Well, no one except for Armin and poor Sasha, who stood there with her eyes widened. As Connie realized what he’d said, his eyes also became much bigger and he blushed violently. There was an awkward silence before something even worse than Connie’s pick-up line came.

Sasha’s laugh.

It was horrible. It was _so_ loud even the music couldn’t muffle it and it seemed almost rehearsed. It would go from loud to _extremely_ loud before restarting the cycle. It was _so_ weird it had created a new level of weirdness: there were funny laughs and there was Sasha’s laugh.

Half the party looked at them as she leaned herself back, one hand on her chest and the other on her belly. Even her laughing position was strange.

“You’re funny!!!” She said, going back to normal like nothing had happened. The only thing different was the smile on her face.

“T-Thank you!” It was unbelievable. Connie was _still_ clearly in love. Even after the hysterical laugh.

Armin decided it was better to leave them alone before he ended up marrying those two, because if they still liked each other after that first meeting, they would definitely end up together.

While he looked around the house for Jean he heard cheering coming from outside. Suddenly, one random guy came rushing past him and Armin had to look again to realize he wasn’t wearing any pants. He carried something the blond _thought_ were his pants, but they were drenched.

When Armin left the house he found Annie holding Bertolt’s hand and kissing him. Like Ymir, Annie didn’t really like touching and seeing her kiss someone – Specially the tall and awkward Bertolt – was even more amusing than realizing the brunet had to almost bend over so the girl could reach his lips.

Jean came closer, holding Armin’s hand.

“Hey. Did you introduce them?” He asked.

“Huh? Yeah! I did. What happened here?” Armin asked, curious.

“Annie just taught some guy a lesson. It was awesome. Anyway, are you feeling okay? How’s your knee?”

“Oh, it’s fine. Don’t worry.” As Jean mentioned, Armin’s attention was directed to his knee. His brace was bothering him, so he decided to sit down.“Can we sit somewhere? Just for a while.”

“Sure, let’s go.” Jean took him to the dining room and let Armin sit on the chair. “It’s quiet here. I know you like it.”

“I love it.” Armin smiled as Jean took his hands and kissed them.

“And I love you.” Jean boldly said. 

“I-I love you too.” Armin lowered his head, smiling.

  
\---------------------------------

 

When it was about 6AM and the guests were gone, but the group continued to chat. Sasha and Connie were the only guests still present, but Marco had found them making out behind one of the rocks from the pool’s cascade. He didn't even want to know _how_ they got there.

Since they were busy they couldn’t play the Uno match that nearly ended a few relationships and friendships, even though it was fun. Armin had given up on playing it since his brain wasn’t working anymore. Marco was sitting on the couch next to him, leaning against the couch's arm, nearly asleep too. The blond closed his eyes for a second and before he realized he had slept.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothing really happens in this chapter regarding the boys, but I needed to write this.  
> BTW I end up A LOT of chapters with Armin sleeping. What is the deal with that? Anyway, this time there's a reason, I swear.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Armin faces his fears.

Armin woke up but it was hard to open his eyes as he laid on such a soft pillow. Except this pillow moved. And had a heartbeat.

_Who the hell is this?_

The blond quickly got up as he forcefully opened his eyes to find Marco laying under him. He nearly fell from the couch accompanied by the laughs of his friends. He also felt something on his cheek and when took it off he realized it was toothpaste.

“W-Wha-...?” He said, still confused, stading up.

“Oh my God, this is the best idea you ever had, Jean.” Reiner laughed so hard he had to use Jean as a support.

“Fuck, you guys are so loud!” Marco sat on the couch, rubbing his eyes.

Armin could feel his whole face burning with shame. Not only because he’d slept on top of Marco, but also because he found out Jean was right: His chest _was_ soft as a pillow. Armin felt _so_ guilty remembering how comfortable it was.

_Damn you, Marco!_

Of course this became the group’s joke for the rest of the year. In fact, when Jean and Armin finally got back to their room at the dorm, the others had made sure to glue the picture of them sleeping together — _With_  a pink heart shaped frame — on the walls, bed, toilet, mirror... Basically every part of the room had that picture glued to it. Including Armin’s pillow.

“This is getting ridiculous!” The blond said as he got out of the bed, showing the pillow to Jean.

“This guys are the best.” Jean laughed as he got down from his bed, pulling his mattress to the floor.

“No they are not! You suck!” Armin hit him with the pillow, holding his laugh.

“Well, _I_ do.” Jean rose his eyebrows, with a smug expression.

“...Oh my God, shut up!!!” Armin started hitting him even more, his cheeks turning red.

Jean laughed and took the pillow from his hands, kissing him and pulling the blond’s waist closer to his own. As the brunet started to kiss Armin’s neck the blond started to melt into his arms.

He knew what Jean was expecting and it’s not like he didn’t want to do the same, but... He just couldn’t. He didn’t know what to expect, he didn’t know what would happen after it and it scared him. Even though he wasn’t a woman, it wouldn’t change the fact that it would be his first time. It was scary.

Not only that, but the ghost of his grandfather continued to whisper in his ear, continued to tell him it was wrong, even though he knew it wasn’t. But that feeling, that ache in his chest wouldn’t go away. It was like a mental cage that prevented him from doing what he wanted.

As he was about to tell Jean to stop, one of the brunet’s hands was squeezing one of his butt cheeks — From inside his underwear ( _When did he do that?_ ) — and the other was inside his shirt, trying to take it off.

“W-Wait!” Armin pulled away, a little nervous.

“What? What’s wrong?” Jean asked.

“I-I-...! D-Don’t-...!” He tried to put his thoughts in order.

“It’s okay! Armin, you don’t have to do it. I just... Tried.” He chuckled. “You didn’t say anything, so I just didn't stop. I’m sorry.”

“No, no, it’s fine. But... In my defense, you don’t give me time to ask you to stop!” He pouted, hugging Jean.

“Huh... Yeah, I do. I put my fingertips inside your pants for a few seconds before I put the whole hand in there.”

“No, you didn’t!”

“Yes, I did. I know because I was dying to do it. I bet a hundred bucks you were thinking about seven million things at once and didn’t even realize what I was doing to you.”

“...” He wanted to retort, but it was true. “Shut up!”

Jean chuckled and gave him a kiss before they started making the bed again.

 

\---------------------------------

 

The months seemed to pass in the blink of an eye. Armin had no big problems adapting himself to college life and whenever he needed Jean was always there for him. Even on his birthday, it was Jean who got them tickets to a play he’d been wanting to see and who made sure all his friends were at the restaurant for dinner.

It was great to spend time with his friends, but it went by fast, and soon Armin was in Jean’s car, going back to his hometown. He held his boyfriend’s hand during the whole trip and, for the first time, Levi’s reckless driving had nothing to do with it.

He tried to calm himself down as Levi stopped the car in front of the house. Armin took advantage of the dark window tinting from the car and touched Jean’s forehead with his own before getting out.

Armin knocked on his grandfather’s door and the man received him with a strong hug, as usual.

“My boy! Are you okay? Have you been properly taken care of?”

“Yes, yes, I’m fine, grandfather. Jean’s family and staff are great. We had an amazing time.”

“I see...” He replied, looking at the car. Armin had the feeling he probably wished to hear a different answer. “Well, get in, get in. Where are your things?”

“Actually, I wish to talk to you for a while first. Is it okay?” He asked, trying not to shake.

“...Sure...” By the look his grandfather gave him, Armin realized he knew something was wrong.

They got in and Armin sat on the couch as his grandfather prepared him a cup of tea. He looked around, remembering every moment he’d spent in this house. He got terrified imagining what it would be like to never see it again, so he decided to think about something else.

Luckily, his grandfather came back with the tea and he took a few sips, in silence, enjoying the moment. He was unsure about his first topic. He wanted to ask about his mother and the dream he had, but he also felt like if he didn’t tell his grandfather about Jean now, he would never be able to.

He took a deep breath, putting the cup down on the table and looking at his grandfather, who copied his actions.

“G-Grandfather, I-... I need to tell you something. I need you to listen to me, okay?”

“Sure. Go ahead.”

“The thing is... I-I found someone. Someone I want to spend the rest of my life with.”

“You did?” He looked so relieved. “This is great, Armin. Who is she?”

“...He. I-It’s a ‘he’, grandfather.” He finally said it. His heart felt like it was about to burst out of his chest.

“...What?” His grandfather’s relieved smiled was gone in a second.

“Actually... It’s Jean. I love him. I want to marry him.”

His grandfather leaned back on the couch, staring at him for what seemed like an eternity. After a deadly silence, his grandfather finally got closer again.

“Get out.” He said in a low voice.

“W-What?” Armin felt his heart being crushed inside his chest.

“Get out of my house right now.” He got up from his chair.

“B-But grandfather, please, listen to me!” Armin got up as well, feeling his arms shaking.

“Leave or I will call the police.” His grandfather said, holding the phone.

“Y-You can’t be serious! Please, grandfather, listen to me, I-...!”

“NO!!! I WILL NOT LISTEN!!! GET OUT OF THIS HOUSE RIGHT NOW!!!” His grandfather charged at him, making him step backwards.

The man grabbed his arm, opening the door and pushing him out. He probably could have stopped him, but the shock was so great Armin just followed his orders. When he turned around he could only see the door being slammed.

“G-Grandfather...” His voice came softly as he tried to speak through the tears that started to come out. “G-GRANDFATHER, PLEASE!!! I’M STILL ME!!! I’M STILL YOUR GRANDSON!!! PLEASE, LET ME IN!!! I LOVE YOU, PLEASE LET ME IN!!!”

His knees started to lose strength as he realized there were no signs of his grandfather coming to the door. He knelt, trying to contain his uncontrollable tears as he continued to knock on the door, even though he barely had the strength to do so.

“Please, grandfather... I love you! I need to know about my mother, I-... Please...”

As his forehead touched the wooden door he felt Jean standing by his side. The brunet touched his head, until Armin  finally let his boyfriend take him to the small stairs that lead to the porch.

Armin continued to cry for a long time before the door was finally opened again. He quickly turned around, hopeful, just to see his grandfather putting a big suitcase outside, with a roll of paper.

“Grandfather, please listen-...!” He quickly got up, walking to the door.

“Be quiet. I never want to see your face again, you ungrateful little bastard.” His grandfather said and Armin thought it would have hurt less to have a dagger piercing his heart. “How _dare_ you do this to me? I treated you right, I gave you food, shelter, I raised you with all my love and you decide to become a sinner?”

“Grandfather, it’s _not_ a decision, I never _chose_ this!” He tried to explain.

“And not only that” His grandfather continued, ignoring him. “You had to choose this _degenerate_ to lead you into this sinful ways! You really _are_ your mother’s son.”

Armin didn’t even know what to say. His words were stuck on his throat as his heart ached.

“You are a little whore just like her! You sold your soul for a fancy car and a house filled with maids!”

“HEY!!! SHUT YOUR MOUTH, OLD MAN!!!” Jean suddenly said, punching the wall next to his grandfather.

“Stop.” Armin said, calmly. All his strength was gone and he just wanted to vanish. “Let’s go.”

“W-What?!” Jean said, turning at him.

“Let’s go.” Armin crouched to get his things from the floor.

“You are an embarrassment.” His grandfather said before slamming the door.

That was the final blow. Armin was obviously wrong when he thought his tears had completely dried up. Jean quickly took his things from the floor and put them in the car before coming back to help Armin get up. 

The boys went back to the car and half the trip was spent in silence. Levi drove insanely fast, as usual, but he wouldn’t do insane overtakes or turns. It was like he was letting Armin deal with his feelings.

As they entered the city again, Armin realized there was no chance of him ever fixing his relationship with his grandfather, so he would at least take advantage of it. He’d do everything he ever wanted, he would be free and happy for once in his life. Completely free.

“Jean.”

“Yeah?”

“Is it okay for me to be selfish for a while?”

“Yeah, of course. Anything you want!”

“Levi, please take me to a place far away. Where no one can find us. Like a lookout point.”

“Alright.” Levi calmly said.

“But first, take me to a liquor store and buy me a bottle of vodka, please. Jean, give him the money, please.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll pay.” Levi quickly said, before Jean could take out his wallet.

The man stopped the car and went into the store, coming back with the requested bottle and giving it to Armin. He took the boys to a desert lookout point and unlocked the doors.

Armin got out, opening the bottle and drank at least one third of it in one gulp. He handed the bottle over to Jean and got closer to the edge of the cliff, taking a deep breath.

“YOU STUPID OLD MAN, HOW _DARE_ YOU DO THIS TO ME???” He shouted with all his might. “I WAS A GOOD GRANDSON!!! I’M A GOOD PERSON!!! I BEHAVED, I SPOKE LIKE A ROBOT, I WORE CLOTHES TWENTYFOUR SEVEN INSIDE MY OWN HOUSE, I HAD TO LISTEN TO YOUR HOMOPHOBIC CONVERSATIONS FOR YEARS AND YEARS, IN SILENCE!!! I HAD TO GROW UP WITHOUT A MOTHER AND FATHER BECAUSE YOU LIED AND TREATED THEM LIKE CRAP!!! HOW DARE YOU TREAT ME LIKE SHIT AND KICK ME OUT OF THE HOUSE??? AND YES, I SAID ‘SHIT’!!! YOU HAVE NO POWER OVER ME ANYMORE, I CAN CURSE AS MUCH AS I WANT!!! SHIT!!! SHIT, SHIT, SHIT, FUCK, COCK, BITCH, FUCK!!!! FUCK, FUCK, FUCKFUCKFUCKFUUUUUUUUUCK!!!”

Out of breath, Armin threw himself back, sitting on the floor. Jean sat by his side, taking a small gulp from the bottle.

“Feel better?” He asked.

“A little.” Armin confessed. “Come, I wanna go to Mc Donald’s.”

He got up, being followed by Jean. They got into the car and Levi turned it on.

“Where to?” He asked, quietly.

“Mc Donald’s. And I wanna eat on the car.” Armin said, holding Jean’s hand.

Levi drove to the closest shop and got into the drive-through. When they were asked what they wanted Armin pulled himself closer, almost falling on top of Levi.

“I want two Big Macs, a large coke, large french-fries, a Mc Flurry with M&Ms and an apple pie.” Armin said to the machine. “What do you guys want?”

“You’re eating all this by yourself?” Jean asked.

“Yes I am.”

“Huh... I want just a Quarter Pounder and a medium coke. What about you, Levi?”

“I’ll pass.” He quickly said.

Later, that night, Armin regretted requesting that much food. He nearly died, but ate everything, like a warrior.

_Two sins down, five to go. Take that you stupid old man._

 

\---------------------------------

 

After a small break to recover from all that junk food, Armin asked Levi to take him to an ATM.

“Jean, please take out a thousand dollars.”

“W-What? Are you insane? Why?”

“Just do it. I’ll give it back to you.”

“Fine...” Jean left and took the money, carefully going back to the car. “There.”

He handed it over to Armin, who took it and gave Jean a hundred dollar bill. The blond took out a pen and paper that was kept on the car and wrote the name of a book he’d been wanting for a long time.

“Please go to that bookstore on the other side of the street and buy me this book.”

“Are you gonna tell me what are you doing?”

“When I’m done.” Armin replied.

“Alright.” Jean got out and did as he was told.

He came back a few minutes later and handed the book to Armin.

“No, don’t give it to me.” The blond refused to even touch the book.

“What?”

“Just read it.”

“What? Ugh, fine. Let’s see...”

“NO!” Armin shouted as Jean opened his mouth to read it out loud. “You gotta read it in silence.”

“And you’ll watch?” Jean seemed so confused.

“Yes.” Armin said.

“...Okay...” Jean probably still didn’t know what was going on, but he did as he was told.

And it worked perfectly. Armin was so jealous of Jean for being able to read that book that he grabbed his own hair, trying not to say anything. After about half an hour he gave up and told Jean to put the book away and Levi to take them back to the dorms.

The boys got into the room and Armin took the money Jean had given him earlier. The brunet watched as he threw the money to the ceiling and let it rain on him. He took a few bills and repeated it until he got tired, letting out an exaggerated sigh.

“There. I’m done.” He picked up the bills and gave them back to Jean. “Here.”

“What... Was that?” He took them, confused.

“Avarice.” Armin replied.

“Oh my God. The Seven Sins? That’s what you’re doing?” Jean finally got it.

“Yeah.” Armin chuckled and hugged Jean’s neck. “If I'm going to be a sinner, might as well enjoy it, right?”

“Makes sense.” Jean chuckled.

“And you know what? I have pretty eyes. I have pretty hair. I’m smart. I’m a good friend. I am a good boyfriend... Sometimes.”

“So, that was Pride?” Jean chuckled, pulling his waist closer.

“Yes it was.” Armin smiled, kissing him. “And tomorrow, we’ll spend the whooole day in bed. We won’t leave this room.”

“I like that idea.” Jean said, smiling.

“Also, there’s still one more to go.” Armin took a deep breath.

“Oh... Okay... What do you wanna-...?”

This time Armin was the one to leave him speechless. He deeply kissed his boyfriend as he walked backwards until they reached the mattresses on the floor. They fell on them and Jean seemed to read Armin’s mind, so he took the lead. It was scary, but Jean knew how to make him feel safe. He always felt like he could do anything as long as Jean was there with him.

 

\---------------------------------

 

That experience had been the best and worst of Armin’s life. Even though the night he’d spent with Jean had been amazing, he’d also found out that drinking almost half a bottle of vodka, eating junk food to the point of almost throwing up and having sex with your boyfriend was not a good idea.

When it was about five in the morning, Armin sat up, feeling nauseous. Jean stayed by his side, making fun of him and caressing his head. There was no doubt now: Armin would never find a boyfriend as amazing as this one.

As morning came, his head was still hurting a little, but it seemed unimportant as he saw Jean laying by his side. In a moment of pure childishness Armin lifted the blankets just for a second and saw their bodies together. They still had no clothes on and that amazing feeling of freedom came back to him, much stronger this time. He didn’t have anything else holding him back. He could do whatever he wanted, he could even kiss Jean awake and ask him to do it again.

And he did. He kissed Jean’s neck, laying on top of him as he changed sides. Jean woke up, chuckling and held his head.

“What the hell are you doing, you pervert?” He asked, kissing Armin.

“Kissing my boyfriend.” The blond smiled widely as he said it. “A-And... And asking.”

He blushed and Jean seemed to understand.

“Ohh, really? So you’re actually a pervert, huh?” The brunet mocked as he moved his hips just a little.

“S-Shut up!” Armin covered Jean’s eyes to hide his red cheeks. “Maybe just a little.”

He bit his lips as he said it and Jean took his hands, kissing them.

“It’s okay. I love you no matter what.” Jean chuckled.

“I love you too.” Armin whispered, kissing his cheek. “And I always will.”

 

\---------------------------------

 

Later that day, Armin made sure to spend the whole day lying in bed, in his underwear, playing games, reading, using the internet, sleeping or simply staring at the ceiling, doing absolutely nothing. He didn’t know who came up with this idea of sloth being a sin, but this person certainly knew nothing.

Jean came back with his food and handed it over to him.

“Here, I brought you some soup. I hope you like it.” He said.

“Thank you.” Armin smiled and took his wallet, giving the money to Jean. “Here.”

“Relax, it’s on me.” Jean said, taking of his hoodie and pants.

“No, no. I have to pay it. After everything you did for me yesterday, I...”

“Armin, chill. I’ll accept, but you know you've paid everything I ever gave you last night, right?” Jean smiled, kissing the blond’s shoulder.

“Shut up, you pervert!” Armin chuckled, pushing him away.

“Me? I wasn’t the only one waking you up for sex this morning!”

“That was not my intention.” Armin said, faking innocence.

“Wow, you’re such a liar.” Jean pinched his leg, laying on the bed.

Armin ate his lunch as they chatted, until his phone rang. He picked it up to see Eren’s name and face on it. He scratched his forehead, putting the soup down before answering.

“Hello?”

“ARMIN, WHAT IS THIS ABOUT YOU BEING A FAGGOT??? WHAT IS GOING ON???” Eren _shouted_ from the other side of the line.

“Hum... Eren...” Jean was getting up, looking angry, so Armin just rose a hand to stop him.

“YOUR GRANDFATHER IS SAYING YOU SOLD YOURSELF FOR MONEY!!! IS IT TRUE???” Eren continued.

“What?! No! Eren, calm down and listen to me. I did _not_ sell myself for money, okay?”

“Oh, really? Then why...?”

“...But I _am_ dating a man. You know Jean, right?”

“THAT GUY WHO LOOKS LIKE A HORSE??? _THAT’S_ WHO YOU CHOSE TO BE FAGGOTS WITH???”

Armin had to hold his laugh at the “horse” part, he had to admit. Even so, he tried to calm Eren down.

“Eren, look, I’m... I’m gay. I like Jean. I’m in love with him, okay?”

“But-But Armin, I don’t understand! Why... Why are you doing this?”

“I’m not _doing_ anything. I just decided to be honest with myself and everyone around me. I love him very much and I wanna be with him. I hope you understand...” He said, waiting for a response, but it never came.

There was silence for a while and Mikasa took the phone.

“Hey Armin.” She said, her tone as calm as usual.

“Hey Mikasa. How are you? Sorry I didn’t talk to you last time I was in town...”

“It’s fine. I know you told your grandfather. Good for you.”

“Thank you.” He smiled.

“Is it the tall handsome guy you liked?”

“Yeah...” Armin chuckled.

“You sound happy. I’ll talk to Eren. He’s a bit shaken, but he doesn’t look disappointed or anything. He’s just confused. Give him some time.”

“Will do. It was nice talking to you.”

“Same here. Bye.”

“Bye!” Armin sighed and turned off the phone. “My friend is freaking out.”

“I think it’s time for you to get some new friends.” Jean said, angry.

“Jean, relax. He’s just confused. He’ll be fine.” Armin laid down on the bed, giving him a kiss. “And even if he's not, it doesn’t change anything. I won’t leave you.”

“Good.” Jean still looked a little pissed off, but didn’t say anything else.

“You’re cute when you’re angry.” Armin chuckled, hugging his boyfriend.

“Oh, shut up!” Jean rolled, laying on top of him. “Everything will work out. Don’t worry.”

“I know.”

Armin smiled as Jean kissed him. Even though his heart would still ache every time he thought about his grandfather, he would push those feelings away. He knew they weren’t worth his time. He’d done everything right, he’d done everything he could to save their relationship.

Now he could only move on with his life and do his best to be happy. And he knew this wouldn’t be hard if Jean was by his side.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Armin meets someone special.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I'm sorry this took so long to update. I was super busy with college AND it took me a while to decide what to do with this story because this chapter turned out much bigger than what I hoped for...
> 
> SO, BOTTOM LINE: There's going to be a Epilogue! That is all.
> 
> Thank you for reading!

_Three years later_

  


Krista was brushing Armin’s hair as Eren and Mikasa got into the room. They approached and the blond could see Eren’s pout.

“Hey...” Mikasa said.

“Hi, guys!” The blond got up from the chair and hugged his friends. “I’m glad you came.”

He smiled and Eren gave him a small nod with the head, hugging him back. They chatted for a while as Krista fixed Armin’s hair in a perfect half ponytail. There wasn’t a single strand out of place, but even so, Armin had the suspicion that Krista had spent half the time brushing his hair just because she liked it.

“Armin...” Eren started. “Y-You’re sure about this, right?”

“Yes, Eren. I’m sure.” He sighed. It was hard for Eren to accept, but just knowing he would be there for him was enough for Armin. “I love Jean, with all my heart. I won’t regret this, I promise.”

“Okay. If you say so, I’ll believe you.” Eren nodded. “I hope you’re happy. I really do.”

“Thank you. I hope so too.” Armin smiled and hugged him again.

This time he could feel Eren’s strong hug and it felt like a sign that he would be supportive. The couple left after a while and so did Krista. Armin was starting to get nervous when Marco got in.

“Hey, loser. How’s everything?”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. I’m nervous.” Armin admited.

“Relax, Jean is freaking the fuck out in his room. You’ll be fine.” Marco chuckled, sitting next to him. “You hair looks pretty.”

Marco said as he touched Armin’s hair. They both looked at each other, in silence, analyzing the scene.

“God, I’m so gay today!” He let go of Armin’s hair as if it was making him gay. “I think after this wedding I might have to punch something to feel manly again.”

Armin laughed hard at that and Marco tried not to. They spent a few more minutes chatting and left the room to enter the hall where the ceremony would be held.

Jean’s mother was supposed to take Armin to the altar, but she was even more anxious than he was. She would constantly ask him if he knew his vows, if he wasn’t forgetting anything, if her hair and make up were still in place and another million things.

He didn’t mind it at all, he even thought it was funny, but if he could choose, he’d definitely go with Edmund. But he knew Jean needed him right now, so he didn’t mind.

What actually bothered him was not having anyone from his family to take him. In fact, he was disappointed to realize that, except for Eren and Mikasa, there were no guests on his side. His friends from college came, but they were Jean’s friends too. There was no one from Armin’s family, no one from his hometown.

He made sure to push those feelings away as he walked down the aisle, taken by Jean’s lovely mother. As they reached the altar she squeezed his hand and stepped away.

A few moments later, Jean came, looking stunning as usual. Armin lowered his head to hide the fact he was biting his lower lip. He played with his fingers, nervous for thinking about how the rest of his life would be, beside this amazing man.

The blond rose his head, smiling as the other approached. Jean gave him a forced smile.

“Hey.” The brunet said.

“Hi.”

 

\---------------------------------

 

_Six months later_

  


The alarm rang and Armin had to force his eyes open. He turned it off and caressed Jean’s arms. The brunet was spooning him as usual, so he had to take those longs arms from around himself.

He got up, heading straight to the kitchen. He turned on the coffee machine and took a shower as the coffee was being prepared. He drank it and went back to the room. “Baby, I’m leaving now, okay?” He said as he kissed Jean’s arms.

There was a mix of a moan and a grunt and he knew that was Jean’s way of saying “Have a good day” in the morning.

Armin went down the stairs to find Marco opening the door.

“Hey. Ready to go?”

“Yeah.” Armin smiled as he left the house and got into Marco’s car.

“So... We’re here.”

“Thanks for driving me. You’re a sweetheart.” Armin smiled.

“No problem. It’s on my way to work anyway.” Marco smiled back. “We’re here. Have a good day!”

“Thank you, you too!”

 

\---------------------------------

 

It was about eleven thirty in the morning when Armin was walking to his next class and a text message arrived.

**Jean**

**Feeding some twerps! Hope you’re having a good day too. LU**

Armin got into the classroom and sat down, smiling at his phone. He and Jean had been living together ever since they left college. Jean had proposed to him at a beach in Trost two days after their graduation.

**Armin**

**ILU too. Can’t wait to go back home!**

He put his phone away and watched as the teacher got in. She had a beautiful blond hair that moved as she wrote her name on the board. “Emily Harmon.” She turned around and Armin felt his heart drop.

His own mother was standing there, teaching a class. She was right in front of him, so close he could shout and she would hear him. His hands trembled and his eyes were filled with water as she introduced herself and started the class. Armin didn’t know what to do. He was so nervous he wanted to cry. He thought about calling Jean, but it would be useless. Jean couldn’t help him, so he just sat through the whole class, thinking.

“Well, that’s it for today. I’ll take attendance and you’ll be free to go.” His mother said, sitting on her desk, taking out the name list. “Ann Marshall.”

“Here!” A woman said from the other side of the room.

“Armin A-...” She widened her eyes and rose her head for a moment. “Armin Arlert.”

“H-Here.” Armin rose his hand, shaking.

His mother looked at him and got nervous, looking back at the list.

“Brian Adams...” She continued as if nothing had happened.

Armin waited for her to finish and quickly grabbed his stuff, running to the front of the class. When his mother glanced at him one more time, she picked up the pace and nearly dashed out of the classroom. The blond didn’t even have time to chase her, so he just stood there with his heart beating strongly in his chest.

 

\---------------------------------

 

Armin got home to find Jean working in the living room. The blond sat by his side and relaxed, letting out a long sigh before leaning against his husband. Jean pulled him closer with one arm and kissed his head.

“Hey. What’s wrong?” He asked.

“I don’t wanna talk about it.” Armin huggedthe brunet’s torso, squeezing it tight. He needed to relax, so he made his usual proposal. “Can we take a shower? I want you to wash my hair.”

“Sure. Come on.”Jean pulled him by the arm and took him to the bathroom.

Armin got into the shower and closed the drain, letting the water accumulate. After the couple was completely wet, Jean sat on the edge of the tub and Armin set himself between the taller one’s legs. He felt Jean’s rough hands touching his scalp and let himself relax for a while before deciding to talk.

“I... I found my mother today.” He said in a low voice.

“What?! Where?!” He could see Jean’s face getting closer to his, from the corner of his eyes.

“She’s... My new teacher.”

“W-Wow... Have you talked to her?” Jean got back to his position and his hands moved again.

“No, she-... She got away. I think she ran away from me.” Armin felt his heart aching at that thought.

“I think you should try again. Maybe she got nervous, I dunno. Just try again. I think it’s worth it.”

Jean’s words had an effect on him. He was right. For whatever reason his mother did that, he couldn’t just spend the rest of his life without knowing her reasons. Besides, it’s not like she could run away forever. She was still his teacher, after all.

“Okay.” Armin sighed. “I’ll give it another shot.”

“And don’t give up until she talks to you! This is important, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. It is. Thank you. I love you.” Armin got up, smiling and gave his husband a kiss. “Open the drain, I have to rinse my hair.”

 

\---------------------------------

 

Two days later Armin got up, ready to try again. He went to the university ten minutes earlier. He told Marco it was important and the other didn’t even ask anything else. Marco knew that if Armin was saying it was important, it really was, and if he could tell, he would.

Armin nearly ran to the classroom and by the time he got there, no one had arrived yet. He waited for his mother, but minutes passed and there was no sign of her. After a few minutes, someone came to tell them she had called in sick.

It was so frustrating and it felt like another stab in the heart, just like the first time. But Armin wouldn’t give up. He got up and left the room, heading for the library to study.

The rest of the day was completely normal except for the fact that it seemed to take ages to pass. The blond just wanted to go home and enjoy the rest of the day with his husband. As he was leaving he saw a man staring at him from the inside of a car. It was really suspicious because he seemed surprised to see Armin there, even though he was definitely waiting for him.

The blond got a little scared, specially after the man continued to chase him with the eyes until Armin finally got into the bus to go back home. Just to be sure, Armin took a look back from inside the vehicle, but the man wasn’t following him.

He decided not to mention it to Jean as he got home. They just chatted, as usual, like nothing had happened, and Armin explained his mother had called in sick that day. Jean was obviously angry, but he probably tried to pretend he wasn’t, for Armin’s sake.

 

\---------------------------------

 

On the weekend Marco and Mina came to visit. It had become something they did once a month, since they hadn’t made a lot of friends in the new town. Marco had found a job there and Armin had decided to get his Master’s Degree from Stohess, so Jean and Mina ended up coming along.

Obviously Jean and Marco couldn’t be away from each other for a long time, so the future Bott’s would always show up at their place anyway, so they decided to schedule the visits and make it easier for everyone.

It was a good time to relax and enjoy the company of other people. Mina was fun to talk to, specially when the subject was to make fun of their dork companions. Armin was chatting with her on the kitchen as Jean and Marco were playing video games in the couple's room.

“Wow, you look amazing. And don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re so _big_!” Armin chuckled. “Can I touch it?”

“Oh, sure!” She said, pushing her big belly closer to Armin. “I know, I’m huge. Marco was going to ask me to marry him, but I forbid it. When he knelt I threatened to kick him in the nuts.”

“Oh my God! Why?!” Armin touched her stomach and he could feel a few kicks.

“Are you crazy? I wanna be a sexy bride, not a pregnant bride. Don't get me wrong, they’re gorgeous, but it's not my thing. I prefer to show up with a flat stomach.”

“Well, it’s your choice. But honestly, you’d look amazing no matter what.”

“Aw, thank you, darling.” She chuckled.

“He moves a lot, doesn’t he?” Armin finally took his hand of her belly.

“I know! You gotta see how much he moves when Jean talks. It’s like he’s dancing salsa in there!”

“Oh, great. Another Marco.” Armin faked exhaustion and rolled his eyes.

“I know, right? Honestly, I think we should get married and leave those idiots to enjoy themselves.”

“I think so too. Let’s elope together, my love!” He touched Mina’s cheek, pretending he was going to kiss her.

“Oh, prince. I wish we could. But how the fuck are you going to deal with the lack of dick?”

“Oh, yeah. Sorry, you’re out.” Armin let go of her, and they both laughed.

After the couple left, Armin was feeling much better. He and Jean cleaned everything up and took a shower before going to bed. The blond held his husbands face as he gave him an enthusiastic kiss that Jean knew very well. The brunet even gave him a naughty smirk before pulling Armin closer. At times like this, their communication was made without a sound.

 

\---------------------------------

 

When Monday came, Armin asked Marco to drop him off at the university ten minutes earlier, again. He ran to the classroom and waited. This time, his mother came and the first thing she did was look for him. It wasn’t hard, since Armin sat on the first chair and made sure to look her right in the eyes.

She gave the class and barely moved as she was done. It was like she was waiting for Armin to come to her, even though she wouldn’t look at him. He took the chance, got up and took a deep breath.

“May I have a word with you, professor?” He asked and she gave him an almost unnoticeable nod.

He took a chair and put it next to her desk as he waited for everyone to leave.

“I-...” He barely started before being interrupted.

“I’m sorry.” She held her purse firmly on her lap. “I’m sorry I left on the first day. I-...”

“So... So it’s really you. I mean, I knew it was but... Hearing you say it...” Armin too was almost crying. “C-Can I just ask you... Why?”

She rose her head, looking at him.

“Why did you leave? I mean, why didn’t you come back for me? You planned to, right?”

“Y-Yes... I-... How did you know?” She looked at him, surprised.

“About two years ago I had this dream from when I was a baby.” He thought leaving the coma part out of it would be better in this situation. “I never knew if it was true, but... You just told me.”

“Ohh my God. Oh my God, baby, I’m so sorry!” She hid her nose and mouth with her hands, just like Armin always did. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you, I’m sorry I left, I’m sorry!”

“I-It’s fine, I just-I just need to know why you never came back.” Armin was holding back his tears.

“I-I did! I came back once, but-...” She seemed to be worried about saying something by the way she bit her lower lip. Her manners had really passed on to Armin. “How’s... How’s your grandfather?”

Armin lowered his head, sighing.

“I don’t know. I was disowned.” He said.

“...W-What?” She got up from her chair, making fists with her hands, extremely angry. “H-HOW-HOW COULD HE?! HE PROMISED HE’D TAKE CARE OF YOU!!!”

Armin just stared at her, waiting for an explanation.

“I-I came back. Once. You were about five. Me and your father had gotten jobs. It wouldn’t be an luxurious life, but we could raise you. But when I got there, your grandfather wouldn’t let me see you and I got angry because I wanted to see my son, but...

“ _Father, please, let me see him! He’s my son!”_

“ _No! You left him!!! Go live your life with that degenerate Harmon boy!”_

“ _That ‘Harmon boy’ is my_ husband _! And I have the right to see my son!”_

“ _Are you really going to do this? Are you going to ruin this kid’s life too?”_

“ _What?” Emily took a step back, shocked._

“ _You want to see him? Fine.”_

_Armin’s grandfather got closer to the kitchen window and showed her Armin, playing with Eren and Mikasa in the yard. The boy had a bright smile on his face as he ran around._

“ _You really want to do this to him? Take him away from everyone he knows, to be raised by you in an awful place, just to satisfy your selfish wishes?”_

“ _I-...” She pondered for a second before realizing it was true. It wasn’t fair to just take a happy child from a home just because she wanted to. “You must promise me... That he can do whatever he wants in the future. If he wants to go to college, you’ll let him.”_

“ _...Fine.” He finally agreed._

“ _And promise me you’ll raise him with love and care.” Her eyes were filling up with water._

“ _I promise.”_

“So I left.” She had sat back on her chair by now. “I’m so sorry! I never thought he’d do something like this to you! I-... If I had known-...!”

She was crying now, her hands hiding her face as she lowered it. Armin just looked at her, calmly. He was crying, but out of anger for his grandfather. His whole life had been a lie to the very last minute.

He leaned forward and gave his mother a hug, that made her tears stop for just a second before they started to leave her eyes again as she reciprocated the touch.

“Thank you for explaining yourself. That’s all I ever wanted. I just had to know you loved me, nothing else. Even if you weren’t there for me, it was because you loved me enough to leave me there.”

“I do! I love you so much! I never forgot you, not even for a second!” She pulled away, taking her wallet from her purse and showing Armin a picture of himself as a baby. “I called. I called so many times to know how you were! I never... I always sent you gifts on your birthday, I-...”

“He never told me.” Armin confessed and they looked at each other, sharing an resentful look.

There was silence in the room for a long time, until Armin decided to talk.

“Are you and my father still together?”

“Yes! Yes, we are.” She smiled. “Over twenty years putting up with his silliness.”

She chucked and Armin smiled as well.

“You-You’re married too, right? I see the ring on your finger.”

“Oh, yeah!” He looked at the ring. “He’s silly too, if that makes you happier.”

His mother widened her eyes and her mouth opened a little, on it’s own.

“I’m sorry, ‘he’? Did you say...?”

_Oh. That._

Armin’s heart started to beat faster as he looked at her.

“Yeah, I did. It’s a ‘he’. I’m gay.” It was probably the first time Armin actually said that word when referring to himself.

“Oh...” She looked at him for a while, thinking, and the blond finally understood what Jean meant when he said he could _see_ Armin thinking. “You’re gay.”

She repeated again before going back to her thoughts. Armin waited patiently until she started laughing, so hard her laugh echoed through the classroom’s walls.

“W-What’s wrong?” He asked, a little surprised.

“Please don’t take this the wrong way, but... A _whore_ and a _faggot_? Man, karma is a bitch!”

She laughed again and Armin resisted for a while before joining her. The thought of his grandfather freaking out was getting funnier and funnier with every sound that came out of their mouths. So much it took them about five minutes to finally stop laughing.

“Do you... Do you have kids? How’s your... Um... Husband?” She asked and Armin nodded, smiling.

“He’s... He’s brave. He taught me a lot, he treats me well, he’s like the anchor that keeps my boat in place when I’m freaking out about something. Actually, he’s the one who encouraged me to come after you.”

“He sounds like a great guy.” She smiled. “Would it be okay for me to meet him someday? I mean, if you don’t mind! I-... I would love to be a part of your life.”

She looked ashamed as she asked it and shook her hands in front of herself, lowering her head.

“Of course it would be okay. And I _do_ want you in my life, but I have one condition.”

“Sure, sure! What is it?” She looked at him, excited.

“I wanna meet my father too.”

“O-Of course, darling! Of course! He wants to see you too!” She gave him a hug, smiling.

 

\---------------------------------

 

A few days later, Armin was making sure everything was ready. He cleaned up the whole house, put on his best clothes and tried to fix Jean’s hair.

“What’s the matter with your hair? It’s always messy!”

“We’ve been together for five years and you _still_ don’t know that? Stop it!” He pushed Armin’s hands away. “Leave it alone. It’s fine. Calm down. You don’t owe them anything.”

“I-I know, but still...” Armin lowered his head, concerned. He wanted to please them, so make a good impression, even though he didn’t know why.

“Just relax, okay? It’ll be fine.” Jean gave him a kiss and a few moments later the doorbell rang.

Armin rushed down, opening the door to find his mother, standing there. With a simple “Hi”, they hugged and the blond invited her in. As she did, Armin saw the man who had been staring at him the other day. The man looked at him, like he was memorizing how his son looked.

“Hey... Son.” The man said in a low voice. His hair was dark, but his eyes were as blue as his wife’s. His smile was the same Armin remembered from his dream.

“H-Hi... Dad.” He said as the man gave him a hug.

He reciprocated, holding back his tears, specially when his father caressed his head. He could hear Jean talking to his mother, so he decided to let him go. He held his father’s hand and pulled the couple to the couch.

“Please, sit down. Um... This is my husband, Jean Kirstein.” He held Jean’s hand.

“It’s nice to meet you, Jean.” His mother smiled. “I’m Emily Harmon, and this is my husband Leon.”

“It’s nice to meet you, mam. Sir.” Jean shook their hands.

“So... Um... How did you two meet?” Leon asked after a few seconds of silence in the room.

Armin smiled and held Jean’s hand once more before telling the story.

 

\---------------------------------

 

At night, the couple laid in bed together. Armin read a book and Jean tried to make him give up by kissing his neck and cheek.

“Just wait! I’m just finishing this chapter!” Armin said, pushing him away.

“Noooo, let go of this book! Your husband needs you!” Jean laughed, throwing himself on top of the blond.

“My _husband_ can wait ten fucking minutes!” Armin turned around, laying on his side to continue reading.

“Come ooooon, babe. I wanna watch our wedding video.”

“What?” Armin closed his book after marking the page. “Why?”

“Well... I dunno. But I think we recorded it to watch it later, right? So why not today?”

“That’s sudden.” The blond chuckled, pushing Jean away so they could sit on the bed. “But okay.”

Armin smiled and Jean took the DVD from the closet and put it on the player. He jumped on the bed and laid his head on the blond’s chest. Armin caressed it, giving it a kiss as they watched.

It was pretty normal at first. Images of them getting ready, just like everyone else. Armin had mixed feelings at those moments because he remembered there were almost no guests from his part, but still, now he had. Even though it was just two more people, they were his parents. They were family, and shared his blood.

A few moments later, the ceremony started and Armin remembered how good Jean looked that day. He also felt a little proud to see he didn’t look so bad himself.

But the best part was to see their vows again. To see himself saying how important Jean was in his life and how much he learned, but specially seeing Jean’s vows. The brunet from the video looked nervous before opening his mouth.

“ _I-Uh-...” He took a deep breath. “I’m not very good with words, but... I-I’ll do my best. Ever since I met you I was crazy. I mean, you looked so good and you were just so-... I dunno, anyway, I thought you were great. And smart. Which you really are! But, the reason I fell in love with you is because you’re something I’m not: You’re kind. I don’t go around punching people in the face...”_

The real Jean hid his face in Armin’s chest as his digital replica looked up, probably thinking about his words before continuing.

“ _...Most of times.” He said and everyone in he room laughed. “But anyway, what I mean is: I’m not some horrible person, but you... You are too kind. Sometimes I get mad at you because you’re so sweet people step all over you. But then I think that might be because I love you so much. And if you were not like this I might not love you.”_

“This is _painful_ to watch.” The real Jean said as the other Jean widened his eyes.

“ _I-I MEAN...! I LOVE YOU NO MATTER WHAT, BUT-WHAT I LOVE MOST IS-!” The digital Jean continued until Armin put his hand the brunet’s mouth, chuckling._

“ _It’s okay. I know what you meant.”_

The real Armin paused the video to wipe his tears. Jean rose his head, giving him a kiss.

“Why are you crying, silly?” He asked.

“B-Because... Because you’re so good to me. You’re so honest and that’s why I love your lousy speeches! You-You love me so much, don’t you?” At this point Armin was crying his eyes out.

“Of course I do! I love you more than anything. And I always will.” Jean hugged him, kissing his head.

“Me too. I’ll always love you too.”

Armin said as he hugged Jean’s neck. He knew he smiled a lot, but this one was so genuine he didn’t even see it coming. He was so lucky it was almost unbelievable. He had his family, friends, a beautiful house and food on his table.

But more importantly, he had something he never knew how much he needed until he finally had it:

 _Jean Kirstein_.


	18. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there's a small group reunion.

It was so cold Armin could barely feel his feet. He struggled to get up as the alarm clock went off. He put his hand outside the blankets and regretted instantly as he felt it freezing.

He finally got up, changed, and went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. He looked outside to find nothing but ice. No houses, no people, nothing. Just snow and ice. His mentor, Mr. Daniels got out of his room, getting the equipment ready.

“Good morning, Arlert.” He smiled.

“Good morning, Mr. Daniels! I’m preparing breakfast.”

“I can see that. Thank you.” The man yawned. “So, are you ready to go see some seals today? It seems they’re close.”

“Really?!” Armin turned around, excited.

“Yeah. Come on, let’s eat so we can leave.”

Armin quickly finished preparing their breakfast and they left, heading to the place where a few Elephant Seals were staying. They were so fascinating Armin couldn’t even try to explain, even though the Beluga Whales were still his favorites. He sat behind a rock, taking pictures and making a few notes.

“They are so amazing.” He commented.

“Yes, they are.” Mr. Daniels replied.

They were so distracted by the seals and focused on their work that neither of them realized one of the seals had gotten really close until Armin felt it’s breath on his cheek.

“...!” He was about to yelp as he remembered to cover his mouth. His first thought was Beast, running away from him the first time they met.

The audacious seal got even closer, slowly making Armin lay on the ground and laying on top of him like he was a soft mattress.

“M-Mr. Daniels, what do I do?”

“You already fucked up the whole ‘Don’t interact’ thing. Just enjoy it.” The man chuckled and softly touched the animal’s head.

The seal didn’t seem to mind as it laid it’s head on Armin’s chest. The blond touched it’s head and smiled, giving it a soft hug.

“Stay still, I’m taking a picture.” Mr. Daniels slowly moved to the side as Armin gave the seal a soft kiss on the head.

 

\---------------------------------

 

A few days later, Armin was trying to connect himself to Skype to talk to his husband. After a few seconds, Jean’s face finally showed up on screen and at that same moment the brunet’s eyes widened like he’d just seen a ghost.

“WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED TO YOUR HAIR???” It was the first thing he said.

Armin had gotten tired of such a long hair, specially in this expedition. They wore big coats that covered their necks so the hair wasn’t even useful to keep it warm. It would just stay tucked up inside his coat and itch, so Armin decided to cut it really short, so it couldn’t reach his face when a strong wind blew.

“Hello to you too.” Armin chucked.

“W-Wha-B-But-... Your hair...” Jean’s tone was so dramatic.

“I decided to cut it. It was annoying. Anyway, how are you?”

“I-...!” Jean seemed to calm down. “So, I-I have some news for you.”

“Oh, really?” The blond smiled. “What is it?”

Jean took his phone and seemed to look for something in it before putting it closer to the camera.

“Can you see it?”

It was a picture of Jean with a young Asian girl. She was pretty, but Armin didn’t understand why Jean was showing him the picture until he saw her stomach. She was clearly pregnant.

“Oh my God. I-Is she...?” The blond asked, covering his nose and mouth with his hands.

“Yes. She’s _seriously_ considering giving us her baby. And it’s a _girl_!” Jean said, emotional.

“Just like you wanted! Oh my God, Jean, this is so great!”

“I know! I hope we get her. I’m so excited.”

“I hope so too. Ugh, okay, let’s talk about something else. I don’t want to get my hopes up! How are you? How’s everyone?”

“Oh, everything is okay. We miss you. _I_ miss you.” Jean replied. “Oh, by the way, Luca loved your picture with the seal. He asked if you were going to ‘teach it how to balance a ball on it’s nose.’”

They laughed at the ridiculous idea that Marco's son had come up with and chatted for a while until Armin had to turn off the computer.

 

\---------------------------------

 

Four months later, Armin arrived at the airport and found Jean, Marco and Luca waiting for him. He smiled and ran up to his husband, giving him a long and much needed kiss.

After one or two minutes he finally let go and realized Luca was laughing at them. Marco was looking away, pretending he wasn’t there for a while.

“H-Hey...” Armin said, a little embarrassed.

“Are you done trying to take his tongue out of his mouth?” Marco laughed, giving Armin a hug.

“I-I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

“I’m just messing with you. Welcome back!” Marco laughed.

“UNCLE ARMIN! UNCLE ARMIN!!! DID YOU TEACH THE SEALS HOW TO PLAY WITH BALLS? DID YOU?!” Luca was pulling Armin’s pants, excited.

“No, no!” He laughed, picking up the boy. “You see, seals only learn that when they live with humans. In nature they like to swim really, _really_ fast.”

“They do?!” Luca widened his eyes, excited.

It was amusing to see how much he looked like Marco. Mina had joked about it when he was born, but now it was just ridiculous. If they were the same age they might be considered twins.

“They do!” Armin chucked. “Where’s Mina?”

“Oh, she had to work. She asked me to apologize.” Marco said.

“I see. That’s too bad. Well, let’s go home, pleeeeease! I need to take a shower.” Armin asked.

“Uncle Armin, you smell!” Luca honestly confirmed, making the three man laugh.

 

\---------------------------------

 

Marco dropped the couple off at their home and left. He was invited in, but refused, saying he still had to prepare dinner for Mina and Luca. Armin knew he probably was just giving them space, but since it was something the blond really needed, he didn’t insist.

Armin put his suitcases on the floor and took a deep breath, remembering the smell of his house. It felt so good to be back home, and soon, they might have a baby. The birth was scheduled to the week after Armin came back.

Suddenly, he felt Jean grabbing him from behind, turning him around and kissing him against a wall. The blond chuckled, grabbing Jean’s hair with one hand and trying to take off the brunet’s belt with the other.

“Fuck, I missed you so much!” Jean chuckled.

“I-Hmp! I missed you too.” He said, interrupted by another kiss. “Hm! Shower! Come on.”

Jean didn’t waste a single second before almost running upstairs.

 

\---------------------------------

 

It was about two in the morning when the phone rang. Armin opened his eyes and used Jean’s back — which was been used as his pillow — to support himself and answered it.

“Hmm... Hello?”

“Mr. Kirstein?”

“No, it’s his husband. May I help you?” Armin felt Jean moving under him and sat on the bed.

“Actually, yes. This is Andrea from the adoption agency. Miss Tae is in labor at St. Mary’s Hospital...”

“WHAT!? ALREADY!? JEAN, WAKE UP!!!” He slapped Jean’s back.

“OW! WHAT THE FUCK???” He complained.

“THANK YOU, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! WE’LL BE RIGHT THERE!!!” Armin was getting up, looking for his clothes in the dark.

“Alright, we’ll be waiting.” The woman said before she hung up.

Jean got up and turned on the lights, still a little sleepy.

“What is it?” He rubbed his eyes.

“IT’S THE BABY!!! THE BABY IS COMING!!!” Armin shouted, putting on the first shirt he could find. It took him too long to find some underwear so he just put on his pants and ran downstairs, calling Marco. “MARCO, WAKE UP, THE BABY IS COMING!!! WE’LL BE WALKING TO ST. MARY’S, MEET US HALFWAY!!!”

He didn’t even wait for Marco’s reply before hanging up, running out the door. Jean was following him, quickly locking the door before they started running down the street.

“Why don’t we have a car? I don’t understand! Why? This is stupid! I can’t believe it!” Armin was so angry.

“Armin, calm down! We’ll be fine!” Jean took his hand, kissing it, trying to keep up with his quick pace.

Marco suddenly reached them and honked once, making them get into the car.

 

\---------------------------------

 

It took them a while before the social assistant came back. She had a serious expression as she looked at the papers in her hand. The trio got up as soon as she approached and Jean took Armin’s hand.

“So, are you ready to see your baby?” She asked.

From that moment on it all seemed like a weird dream. Armin felt Jean hugging him, felt himself being pulled to a room where the nurse handed a baby over to Jean... It all seemed blurry and Armin couldn’t even think properly until Jean approached him, trying to hand the baby over to him. The baby was so small that Armin got scared.

“Armin! Take her.” Jean said.

“I-I can’t. I can’t, she’s so tiny. I’m gonna hurt her.” He stepped back, shaking.

“No you won’t, silly. Come on, it’s our baby. Hold her.”

Armin looked at him in the eyes and once again, it felt like Jean was giving him courage to do it. He slowly took the baby and started crying as soon as she yawned.

“Oh my God, Jean. S-She’s perfect.” He finally said.

“I know.” He laughed and kissed Armin, holding his face. “And she’s _ours_.”

“She is. She... Really is. We should thank her. Kim. Can we?” Armin asked the social assistant.

“I’ll check.”

She said as she entered the room and a few moments later, came out, telling them to follow her.

The couple entered the room and Kim was still sitting on the bed, her mother by her side. Armin got closer, but not too much so she wouldn't be uncomfortable.

“H-Hello, Kim. We didn’t have a chance to meet in person, but I’m Armin. I-I just wanna thank you, so much, for doing this. We’ll always send pictures and we’ll take good care of her, I swear. She’ll have the best live we can possibly provide.” He said, trying to control his tears.

“I-I know.” She was crying, but did her best to smile.

“Thank you so much. I hope you have an amazing life.” Jean said, approaching and taking her hand. “You deserve it. You really do.”

“T-Thank you.” She cried even more, giving Jean a hug. “Take care of her.”

“We will.” Jean said. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

 

\---------------------------------

 

_Six months later_

Armin was preparing the house for the guests. Marco and Mina had been there since ten, helping out with the grill and food for the barbecue.

“I think today might be the day I’ll kill my husband. What the fuck is he doing up there? It’s a baby! How long does it take to give her a bath?” Armin said, stretching himself to check the stairs.

“Go check on him. We still have time, relax.” Marco said, smiling.

“Thanks.”

Armin dried up his hands, going upstairs and entering the bathroom. Inside there was Jean, in the tub, naked, holding the baby above his head, playing with her belly. His clothes thrown on the bathroom floor. It would be the cutest scene if they didn't have things to do.

“JEAN!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME???” Armin got closer.

“What?! She’s clean!” Jean showed him the baby.

“I know she’s clean, and that’s the problem! You were supposed to take a quick shower with her and go help us!” He slapped Jean in the shoulder and the baby laughed at the brunet’s shout.

“...Why? You little traitor! I’m the one playing with you!” Jean said, pouting at the baby, which only made her laugh again.

“Not anymore.” Armin took her towel and wrapped her up, taking her to their room. “You just lost your baby access until everything is ready, sir.”

Armin turned around, not even bothering to let Jean reply. He put her in a cute white dress and _tried_ to put a matching little bow on her hair, but gave up because it wouldn’t last more than a minute in her head before she took it off and put it in her mouth.

By the time he got down, Mina took the baby so they could finish the preparations. A few minutes later, Ymir and Krista arrived, being received by Armin. And soon they all went to the yard to start the barbecue.

When Sasha and Connie arrived it was impossible _not_ to notice. If the parents weren’t loud enough, the two year old _triplets_ sure were. Jean received them and soon they were running around with Luca.

Sasha and Connie went straight to the baby to meet her.

“Oh, Armin, she’s so cute!” Sasha said, taking her. “Come here, baby girl! What’s her name?”

“It’s Amy.” Armin smiled.

“Fuck, she’s _really_ cute.” Connie said, looking at her.

“Thank you.” Armin said, proud. “We’re crazy about her.”

“And ours _make_ us crazy.” Connie chuckled, taking the baby from Sasha.

“Connie!” She laughed, giving him a soft push. “But, yeah, it’s true. They do. We love them with all our hearts, but sometimes it’s hard.”

She finally admitted, but the soft smile didn’t leave her face.

“I can imagine.” Armin chuckled.

Bertold and Annie were the last ones to arrive. Armin asked for Reiner, but Bertolt said he couldn’t come. He’d found a job in Germany and even though he was getting filthy rich, he was busy and spent his free time going to bars and parties.

“He really likes to party, doesn’t he?” Armin asked, laughing.

“He does.” Bertolt chuckled.

“We party too. Under the sheets.” Annie said, taking a sip of her beer.

“Annie!” Bertolt blushed and hid his face in shame.

_Some things never change._

“Me and Sasha haven’t partied in over two years.” Connie said, pretending to be devastated.

“This is why we won’t have any brats. We’ll come here, play with yours and leave.” Annie told them with a hint of a smile.

“Oh my God! Stop using our children for fun!” Armin said, laughing.

“Tell that to the big dork over there.” She pointed at Bertolt who, not only had left his seat, but was chatting with Marco, holding Amy and playing with her. She seemed even smaller in his arms.

Ymir, on the other hand was making the triplets and Luca do push-ups, calling them “filthy maggots” — Which the kids found incredibly funny — and telling them “they were too slow”.

“What about you two? Never thought about it? She seems to have fun playing with them.” Armin asked Krista.

“We think about it sometimes. But we’re still unsure. Even so, we wouldn’t get a baby. Ymir likes older kids that can just _tell her_ when something's wrong with them.” She replied.

“I see. Yeah, well, she _does_ have a point.” Armin admitted.

After much talking, eating, drinking and laughing the guests finally left. Luca was sleeping on the couch with Jean and Amy. When everything was back in place, Armin woke Jean up after Marco and Mina had taken the sleepy Luca and left.

“Hey, wake up.” He said, kissing Jean’s cheek.

“Hmm... How long did I sleep?”

“A long time.” Armin replied, chuckling. “Come on, go sleep on the bed.”

Jean nodded, taking Amy to their room. Armin changed her diaper and laid down with her on top of him. He felt Jean give him a kiss on the cheek and get closer, putting his hand on Amy’s back.

“I love you.” Jean whispered.

“And I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Armin's POV is over!  
> I hope it wasn't too cheesy. I just thought this one needed to end like this. I hope you liked it! :D  
> Jean's POV will come soon!!!  
> Than you very much for reading!


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